The Clever Hans Effect

In the late 1800s, a German high school
mathematics instructor named Wilhelm Von
Osten began parading around his horse,
"Clever Hans".

You see, Clever Hans was no ordinary horse.
Clever Hans could add, subtract, multiply,
divide, work with fractions, tell time, keep
track of the calendar, differentiate musical
tones, read, spell, and understand German.

Clever Hans would be asked a question and
he would tap his hoof on the ground until
he came to the right anwser.

People came from all over to see Clever Hans
give the answers to some very difficult math
questions.

But some folks were not impressed with Clever
Hans. They thought that it was all some kind
of trick.

The German board of education agreed and
appointed a commission to investigate Hans.

Did Hans really add, subtract, multiply, divide,
work with fractions, tell time, keep track of
the calendar, differentiate musical tones, and
read, spell, and understand German?

The quick answer...NO.

Hans did not know how to do any of the things that
his owner claimed. Hans was not a mathematical
genius but...

What they learned was that Hans was an expert
at reading body language.

The investigators discovered that when
a question was asked of Hans, he would start to
tap his hoof until he came to the correct anwser.

He knew the correct anwser by watching for cues
given by the person asking the questions.

The questioners posture and facial expressions
changed in ways that were consistent with an
increase in tension, which was released when
the horse made the final, "correct" tap.

This provided a cue that Hans could use
to know when to stop tapping.

In other words, Clever Hans was an expert at
reading body language and knew when to stop
tapping by the subtle cues given by the person
asking Hans a question.

Pretty interesting. Clever Hans really was clever,
but not in the way that we thought.

Anyone that lives with a dog should know about this
because...

this has lead to what is now called "The Clever Hans
Effect."

Social animals, like horses and dogs, become
experts at reading our body language. This
is important to understand when you live with
a dog.

Not too long ago I was working with a very
nice couple that was having problems with
their dog.

They said that their dog knew the sound of
their car, became agitated before they left
the house, and would become very withdrawn
when either one of them became angry.

I explained the Clever Hans Effect and that
it has been found that many animals are sensitive
to such cues from the humans that they live with.

Their dog was so "tuned in" to them that he knew
when they were getting ready to leave, were happy,
upset and a host of other things which in turn affected
his behavior.

Today, the term "Clever Hans Effect" is used
to describe the influence of a questioners
subtle and unintentional cues upon their subjects,
in both humans and in animals.

For instance, when drug-sniffing dogs undergo
training, none of the people present know
which containers have drugs in them; otherwise
their body language might betray the location
and render the exercise useless.

So why am I writing about Clever Hans?

Because your dog is an expert at reading your
body language, many times some of the behavior
problems you are experiencing are being
reinforced though unintentional cues given
by you.

JUMPING - How many of you reading this have a
jumping problem with your dog? I would wager that
a good number of your dogs are jumpers.

How do I know that?

Am I psyhic?

Nope, I just know that after 18+ years of
working with dogs, jumping is at the top of
the list when it comes to behavior problems
and that the main reason it is such a problem
is because The Clever Hans Effect is working
in full force when it comes to jumping.

In my new Good K9 Manners course, the TTL
Method that I outline has to do with this.

http://www.goodk9manners.com/

Its important to remember that training is
more than a clicker, choke collar, or a pat
on the head.

Your dog is constantly watching you for some
type of cue that may indicate that its time
to go for a walk, dinner or to jump on you.

If your dog is doing a behavior that you dont
like, pay attention to your cues and see if you
are doing anything to reinforce the behavior.

When it comes to dog training the dog is often
blamed for bad behavior but sometimes we have
to be careful of what we are unintentionally
teaching our dogs.

I look forward to your comments.

All the best,

Eric

P.S. You can still get the FREE Good K9 Manners Video Course.
It clearly explains how to teach your dog good manners.

Related Posts by Categories