Jean,
The electric collars typically give off a warning tone when the dog gets
close to the fence area. I would probably argue that the tone is a
discriminative stimulus, setting the occasion for the punishment of the
operant. One could argue, of course, that the tone is a classically
conditioned aversive stimulus eliciting a "fear" response.
-- Jim
At 08:30 AM 3/20/2001 -0600, Jean Edwards wrote:
>Good morning all:
>
>A student asked a question regarding the use of "invisible" fences. A dog
>wears a collar that delivers a mild shock whenever the dog crosses over
>the boundary and learns not to cross the boundary. Is this an example of
>operant or classical conditioning? I answered that it was operant
>conditioning (positive punishment) because the shock follows the behavior
>and decreases it. Just wanted to double check that my answer is correct.
>
>Thanks to those who take the time to reply.
>
>JL Edwards
><mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
