Some (probably thoroughly warped) thoughts about learning theory

Bear has lived with me for just a bit over three months now. It's been a real adventure. During that time I've attempted to "teach" Bear a great many things. Once in awhile I am successful and that's a real high. Other times I'm absolutely not successful and that's a real puzzle. And then, there are those times when I think Bear has learned, but he also has some ideas of his own, and that's humbling.

On occasion, when the "learning" appears to work I realize that I have somehow, magically, "gotten it right." Then there are those times when I just likely have not consistently applied the right stimulus with the hoped for response. And there are those times when I have been consistent but I imagine the stimulus simply did not match up to the response that Bear wanted to give - I mean, after all Dr. Fetterman, he's not a pigeon or a white rat. I'm pretty sure he's a little more complex and I'm also pretty sure of my memory that while I got an "A", I was not very a very inspired student and I just sort of "did the work." (Hence my confidence that Dr. Fetterman will never see this post or have any memory of me whatsoever. I get some sort of perverse pleasure though that I remember him and that rat so very well).

Then, there are those times when I realize that Bear has learned something which I did not intend to teach. Oh, I have a dozen or so examples, most of them too embarrassing to mention and so we'll stick with this somewhat benign example.

Each and every time, doesn't matter if it's 2 AM or 1 PM, doesn't matter if Bear is in a dead coma sleep, that I slide my keyboard tray beneath my desk, Bear jumps up and runs to the door. He knows. He knows that the noise of that keyboard tray means that I am on the move and this his desire, to go outside, is more likely to be fulfilled. He's pretty smart that Bear of mine.

So? I can hear your brains clicking away, "so what?" Silly dog runs to the door each time the keyboard tray goes click, click, click. Well, the point is this: I did not intend to pair this stimulus with that response. Nope. Not ever once did it cross my mind. Bear picked this up all by himself; in his complex doggie brain he figured it all out.

The punchline? It's got me wondering about how many other things I have taught Bear (and my children, my friends, my co-workers, my students, get it?) without ever having intended to teach them anything at all. I'm betting that maybe I should pay attention, yes? Because I'm pretty sure I'm teaching a whole bunch of STUFF that I don't want anyone to learn. Yeah - I'm pretty sure that I should pay attention to clicking keyboard trays and tones of voice and the list goes on....

You?