Food Preference and Demand in a Ramp Task in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) are popular pets and used as laboratory animals, however, their dietary preferences are under-studied. It is important for guinea pig owners and carers to increase the opportunity for good animal welfare by providing personalized and enriching dietary options. Thus, this study aimed to assess the use of paired-stimulus and multiple-stimulus-without-replacement preference assessments to determine the food preferences of seven male guinea pigs and test the validity of the methods by testing the demand for the most- and least preferred foods as reinforcers for climbing an elevated ramp. Generally, the preference assessments identified the same foods as the most preferred for each guinea pig, but not the least preferred foods. Guinea pigs climbed up to the steepest angle for both most and least preferred foods, but a non-linear least squares regression and demand analysis indicated faster climbing and inelastic demand for most preferred foods compared to slower climbing and elastic demand for least preferred foods. Both preference assessment methods were valid in identifying a preferred food, however, the multiple-stimulus-without-replacement assessment was more efficient to conduct. High-preference foods such as parsley and dandelion are recommended as future training reinforcers for guinea pigs and as foods to consider using as enrichment in captive guinea pig systems to encourage good welfare.&nbsp

Use of the game-based learning platform KAHOOT! to facilitate learner engagement in Animal Science students

Gamification of instructional activities is a useful approach that educators can use to promote more effective learning environments by increasing problem-solving, critical thinking and competence in the classroom. 'KAHOOT!' is an online multi-player real-time quiz game that allows students to measure learning in an engaging, immediate and entertaining manner. Lecturers can measure how well students absorb information and tailor their teaching to the next step or re-teach a concept after poor uptake by students. Seventy-two students participated in a 20-question survey about their experiences with 'KAHOOT!'. Engagement scores were correlated with assessment grades to measure if 'KAHOOT!' affected student learning and achievement. The survey was deemed statistically sound in reliability and validity testing, and a principal components analysis (PCA) revealed that the attributes were strongly linked. There was no relationship between engagement score and assessment grade, indicating that 'KAHOOT'!' did not directly increase achievement. However, assessment of individual responses identified that students found it to be a positive social learning technology as it provided a fun, competitive and immersive end to a class. The benefits of fostering engagement, enjoyment and immersion within adult learning are especially important for maintaining a level of achievement within education to ensure that students are better equipped to deal with challenges and can turn a potential failure into an opportunity to improve their scholarship. The challenge provided by this study is to identify now how to measure the value of 'fun' activities in the tertiary classroom as a reinforcer for engagement, participation and learning

Food Preference Predicts Speed of Approach on a Runway Task by Dogs

The effective and quick assessment of food preference is important when attempting to identify foods that might function as effective reinforcers in dogs. In the current experiment, more highly preferred foods were expected to be associated with faster approaches in a subsequent runway task. Eight dogs experienced combinations of two of six types of raw food in a paired preference assessment. These included the dog’s staple diet, to identify a rank order of preference for the foods. A different raw food was offered as the staple in two preference tests. In the runway task, the dogs were required to walk five metres to obtain a small amount of their most preferred, least preferred or staple foods and latency of approach to the foods was recorded. The results showed that the staple foods were not preferred as highly as the other foods and that each dog displayed unique and stable preferences for the different foods. The approach latencies were faster for their most-preferred food compared to their least preferred and the staple foods. The use of a runway to assess reinforcer effectiveness combined an effortful behaviour to obtain food while also requiring the dogs to make a choice, thus precluding the need for more complicated and time-consuming methods of preference assessment. The application of this method for fast and effective identification of preferred reinforcers is currently being investigating further to inform pet owners and behavioural scientists better about simple methods that they might use to identify highly preferred foods for use as reinforcers in training and behavioural testing

Food Preference Predicts Speed of Approach on a Runway Task by Dogs

The effective and quick assessment of food preference is important when attempting to identify foods that might function as effective reinforcers in dogs. In the current experiment a food preference assessment was conducted where more highly preferred foods were expected to be associated with faster approaches in a subsequent runway task. Eight dogs were tested in a paired preference assessment offering combinations of two of six types of raw food, including the dog's staple diet, to identify a rank order of preference for the foods. A different raw food was offered as the staple in two preference tests. The results showed that the staple foods were not preferred as highly as the other foods and that each dog displayed unique and stable preferences for the different foods. In the runway task the dogs were required to walk five metres to obtain a small amount of their most preferred, least preferred or staple foods and latency of approach to the foods was recorded. The approach latencies were faster for their most preferred food compared to their least preferred and the staple foods. The use of a runway to assess reinforcer effectiveness combined an effortful behaviour to obtain food while also requiring the dogs to make a choice, thus precluding the need for more complicated and time-consuming methods of preference assessment. The application of this method for fast and effective identification of preferred reinforcers is currently being investigating further to inform pet owners of simple methods to increase their training successes. Owners of raw food fed dogs are advised to conduct a preference assessment to identify their dogs most preferred food for use as a reinforcer during training

CONNECT for quality: protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial to improve fall prevention in nursing homes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Quality improvement (QI) programs focused on mastery of content by individual staff members are the current standard to improve resident outcomes in nursing homes. However, complexity science suggests that learning is a social process that occurs within the context of relationships and interactions among individuals. Thus, QI programs will not result in optimal changes in staff behavior unless the context for social learning is present. Accordingly, we developed CONNECT, an intervention to foster systematic use of management practices, which we propose will enhance effectiveness of a nursing home Falls QI program by strengthening the staff-to-staff interactions necessary for clinical problem-solving about complex problems such as falls. The study aims are to compare the impact of the CONNECT intervention, plus a falls reduction QI intervention (CONNECT + FALLS), to the falls reduction QI intervention alone (FALLS), on fall-related process measures, fall rates, and staff interaction measures.</p> <p>Methods/design</p> <p>Sixteen nursing homes will be randomized to one of two study arms, CONNECT + FALLS or FALLS alone. Subjects (staff and residents) are clustered within nursing homes because the intervention addresses social processes and thus must be delivered within the social context, rather than to individuals. Nursing homes randomized to CONNECT + FALLS will receive three months of CONNECT first, followed by three months of FALLS. Nursing homes randomized to FALLS alone receive three months of FALLs QI and are offered CONNECT after data collection is completed. Complexity science measures, which reflect staff perceptions of communication, safety climate, and care quality, will be collected from staff at baseline, three months after, and six months after baseline to evaluate immediate and sustained impacts. FALLS measures including quality indicators (process measures) and fall rates will be collected for the six months prior to baseline and the six months after the end of the intervention. Analysis will use a three-level mixed model.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>By focusing on improving local interactions, CONNECT is expected to maximize staff's ability to implement content learned in a falls QI program and integrate it into knowledge and action. Our previous pilot work shows that CONNECT is feasible, acceptable and appropriate.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00636675">NCT00636675</a></p

Comparison of Paired- and Multiple-Stimulus Preference Assessments using a Runway Task by Dogs

Preference assessments identify foods that might be valued by an animal but do not capture differences in the magnitude of value. In combination with demand, the more effort required to acquire the commodity – the more valued and likely it is to function as an effective reinforcer for use in dog training. In the current experiment, two preference assessments' applicability was measured using a combination of choice assessment and effortful runway task. Eight dogs experienced a paired stimulus preference assessment and multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessments combined with a 3-m runway task. The preference assessments identified different most-preferred foods, but the same least-preferred foods. The reinforcer assessment results showed that the dogs moved faster to obtain their most preferred food as identified by the multiple stimulus without replacement assessment compared to the most preferred foods identified in the paired stimulus assessment. The paired- or multiple-stimulus-without-replacement preference assessments identified highly valued foods; however, the applicability of that commodity as a reinforcer was not independent of the assessment method. To ensure accurate reinforcer identification and consistency, a preference assessment should be conducted under similar conditions to that experienced when the reinforcer is used in training. Overall, the multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessment would be more useful to trainers, owners or scientists wanting to identify high-value foods for their animals to function as effective reinforcers for the elicitation of behaviors in a training context.&nbsp

Assessing Possums' Food Preferences and Demand

The Brushtail possum ('Trichosurus vulpecula') is reported to eat vegetation, fruit, flowers, fungi and meat in the form of birds (e.g., starlings, blackbirds) and their eggs. However, this omnivorous behaviour and ability to adapt to a varying diet has not been investigated systematically. The first experiment involved a single stimulus preference assessment of possum's consumption of individually presented food items that included: meat, eggs, native foliage, fruit and invertebrates. The second and third experiments used paired stimulus assessment and concurrent schedule procedures to establish ranked preference and demand curves for these different food types. Results suggest that captive possums display similar opportunistic feeding behaviour observed in wild possums. Further studies will examine the development and influence of food choices by other possums on the transmission of taste preferences between possums. These studies may provide information relevant to maintaining captive populations of possums for behavioural research by contributing to the knowledge of methodologies compatible with possums and provide strategies and practices for the management of the pest problem in New Zealand