I was fortunate enough to attend the PPGA Conference in June 2024 where Dr Eduardo Fernandez presented a new training model which he proposed and published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour earlier this year; the Least Inhibitive, Functionally Effective (LIFE) model. He presents the LIFE model as an alternative to the LIMA model proposed by Steven Lindsay in 2005.
Dr Fernandez is a Senior Lecturer and researcher at the University of Adelaide. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology (minors in Neuroscience and Animal Behaviour) from Indiana University, where he worked with the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Zoo, and his M.S. in Behaviour Analysis from the University of North Texas, where he founded the Organisation for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals (ORCA).
A self-confessed history enthusiast, Dr Fernandez presented a brief and fascinating history of animal training starting with the Pigeon Project in 1940 to the conceptualisation of the LIFE model in 2023 and followed the progression of training towards rewards-based methods. The least intrusive, minimally aversive (LIMA) training model has been coopted by many rewards-based trainers as a framework for positive reinforcement/rewards-based training methods, however, the ambiguous nature and problematic genesis of the LIMA model necessitated an alternative framework to describe ethical, modern training. Criticisms of LIMA include vague terminology, procedural ambiguity, and the (historical) acceptance of coercion and punishment.
LIMA was first described in Steven Lindsay’s 2005 Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training Volume 3 where he says:
“According to the least intrusive and minimally aversive (LIMA) model, aversives are ranked in terms of their relative severity and intrusiveness, requiring that the trainer apply a less aversive technique before advancing to a more aversive one.” (p. 29).
Despite his criticisms of LIMA, Dr Fernandez emphasized that the LIMA model has played a very important part in the progression of animal training and the criticisms are in no way a condemnation of the model itself, but it is necessary to acknowledge the drawbacks of the model to move the industry forward.
Recognising the need for a suitable alternative model that outlines what ethical trainers do, rather than what they don’t do, Dr Fernandez proposed the LIFE model which has a focus on the importance of the function of behaviour to ethically effect behavioural outcomes.
“Our goal in driving future ethical animal training practices should be to provide models that directly connect to both science and practice. The new LIFE framework fosters such a connection between the animal welfare and behavioral sciences, as well as current reward-based training practices. Another important component of the LIFE model is to rely on a simple yet accurate description of the critical features of modern ethical animal training practices. The acronym emphasizes the important points, including (1) increasing meaningful choices, (2) identifying behavioral functions, and (3) maximizing training success. Parsimony in the model is reached by keeping the concepts as simple yet as accurate as possible.” Eduardo J. Fernandez, The least inhibitive, functionally effective (LIFE) model: A new framework for ethical animal training practices, Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Volume 71, 2024, Pages 63-68
Dr Fernandez’s publication is open source, and freely available for anyone to read without a subscription.
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