Reflections on Class

ANS 6002, Animal Behavior III, is an application of many of the methods of behaviorism that we have studied thus far. Though many of the concepts were quite familiar, this class enabled me to have a much more hands on understanding of the intervention process. 

Some of the concepts, however, were newer. For example, using a function matrix and creating graphs were explained in this class. Though I learned much in this regard, my greatest understanding came from the class project. This class project took us from beginning to end with the intervention process, providing me with concrete learning. 

My project involved a 4 year old Wheaten Terrier named Fusilli who exhibited humping behavior upon instances of overexcitement in play and lack of attention/boredom while mom was on the phone. I was able to do an FBA with Fusilli which revealed the function of her behavior: therefore, I was able to choose an appropriate replacement behavior for her. The BIP that I came up with for Fusilli proved to be successful, allowing me the satisfaction of knowing that I had a grasp on the function of her behavior. I was also pleased to see exactly how these concepts worked in a real life scenario.

This class was a bit different from the others I have taken, largely because of the hands-on project. I think this project was key to my learning experience in this class. The only drawback to this project is that I would have liked a bit more time so that I could have enacted an ABAB plan. Otherwise, I don't think there is anything I would change about the class.

The unit quizzes were appropriate and helpful to the learning process. The workload of the class was also appropriate. Because the class wrapped up a bit early due to the professor's wedding plans, the last two weeks were exceedingly heavy in terms of getting the work done. This is something that the class agreed to, and I am not complaining. I do feel the work load the last two weeks would be better under normal circumstances.

Overall, I enjoyed the class. The professor, Dr. Matthews, was extremely knowledgeable and gave us much food for thought in her forum responses. I benefited greatly from those discussions. I would highly recommend this class to others in the program and would also recommend this professor.