Erica N. Feuerbacher
PhD Psychology (Behavior Analysis) University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
MS Behavior Analysis, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
BS Biology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
BA Spanish, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Awards
Behavior Analysis Research Award, University of Florida (2014)
E. F. Malagodi, Jr. Memorial Award, University of Florida (2013)
Marian Breland Bailey Award for Student Research and Scholarship, Association for Behavior Analysis International (2011, 2013)
College of Liberal Arts and Science Fellow, University of Florida (2009-2013)
Outstanding Behavior Analysis Graduate Student, University of North Texas (2009)
Outstanding Biology Teaching Assistant, University of North Texas (2009)
APSC 2164 Companion and Lab Animal Care and Handling (co-Instructor) – 20 students
APSC 2464 Introduction to Companion Animals – 100 students
APSC 4464 Companion and Lab Animal Health and Management (co-Instructor) – 54 students
My research focuses on domestic dog behavior, welfare, and learning/training. I explore fundamental learning processes in dogs and how those translate into the most effective and humane training techniques. I evaluate interventions for improving shelter dog welfare, by evaluating the effects on behavioral and physiological measures of stress. I also investigate human-dog dynamics and how to improve the human-dog relationship. While some of my research focuses on basic learning processes, my research always has a view towards the applied dimension and how we can help companion animals and their caregivers. Current research includes the effects of single- and pair-housing on the shelter dog stress, effects of brief sleepovers on shelter dog stress, detecting the honeymoon period in adopted dogs, and how reinforcer delivery affects reinforcer efficacy.
Peer-reviewed
1. Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2017). Dogs don’t always prefer their owners and can quickly form strong preferences for certain strangers over others. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. doi: 10.1002/jeab.280
2. Feuerbacher, E. N. & Rosales-Ruiz, J. (2017). Can dogs learn concepts the same way we do? Concept formation in a German shepherd. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 30, 1-25.
3. Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2016). Application of functional analysis methods to assess variables involved in dog-human interactions. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 49, 970-974. doi: 10.1002/jaba.318
4. Feuerbacher, E. N. & Protopopova, A. (2016). Proximate causes of cognition. In M. Olmstead (ed.) Animal Cognition: Principles, Evolution, & Development. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.
5. Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2015). Shut up and pet me! Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) prefer petting to vocal praise in concurrent and single-alternative choice procedures. Behavioural Processes, 110, 47-59. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.08.019
6. Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2014). Most domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) prefer food to petting: Population, context, and schedule effects in concurrent choice. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 101, 385–405. doi: 10.1002/jeab.81
7. Udell, M. A. R., Lord, K, Feuerbacher, E. N. & Wynne, C. D. L. (2014) A dog’s eye view of canine cognition. In A. Horowitz (ed.) Dog Behavior and Cognition – The Scientific Study of Canis familiaris. New York, NY: Springer.
8. Feuerbacher, E. N. & Wynne, C. D. L. (2012). Relative efficacy of human social interaction and food as reinforcers for domestic dogs and hand-reared wolves. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 98, 105-129. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2012.98-105
9. Feuerbacher E. N. & Wynne, C. D. L. (2011). A history of dogs as subjects in North American experimental psychological research. Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 6, 46-71. doi:10.3819/ccbr.2011.60001
10. Feuerbacher, E. N., Fewell, J. H., Roberts, S. P., Smith, E. F., & Harrison, J. F. (2003). Effects of load type (pollen or nectar) and load mass on hovering metabolic rate and mechanical power output in the honey bee Apis mellifera. Journal of Experimental Biology, 206, 1855-1865. doi: 10.1242/jeb.00347
Popular press
1. Feuerbacher, E. N. & Gunter, L. (2015, September). Clever, prepared, & creative: Good science & dog training in the 21st century. The Chronicle of the Dog.
2. Feuerbacher, E. N. (2015, May) Less talk, more touch: What your dog is saying to you. Do You Believe in Dog [web log post]. Retrieved from http://doyoubelieveindog.blogspot.com/2015/05/less-talk-more-touch-whats-your-dog.html#.VVqkp6Z5Xys
3. Feuerbacher, E. N., & Gunter, L. (2015, January). Good science: Skinner’s functional relations and dog training. The Scoop.
4. Feuerbacher, E. N. (2010). The 2010 Presidential Scholar’s Essay. Inside Behavior Analysis 2(2). Retrieved from http://www.abainternational.org/ABA/newsletter/IBAvol2iss2/PresScholEssay.asp