Ever wonder what can motivate and reward your pet the most? This study looked at the brains of 15 dogs as their owners either praised them or offered a treat.
In learning theory, there is this little thing called "motivating operations" at play. Motivating operations means that the value of a particular reinforcer depends upon its "level" in the current situation (so motivating operations can change over time--sometimes rapidly). If you consistently pet your dog, attend to your dog, then praise looses some of its effectiveness as a reinforcer. The dog is "full" of praise. On the other hand, if your dog just had a huge meal, treats are going to loose their effectiveness as a reinforcer. Think of finishing up a huge Thanksgiving dinner and vowing you won't eat for 2 days because you're so full. So "it depends" on the animal's motivating operations. If you've been gone all day and your dog has been stuck in her crate, praise and attention are going to be powerful reinforcers (more than treats). If you had to skip your dog's breakfast (say, for a minor medical procedure, although I can't think of a minor medical procedure that would require you to skip your dog's meal), by dinner time, food is going to be a powerful reinforcer ("Give me a break here, lady. I don't want you to pet me right now, I want you to feed me right now"). So like too much else in real life, "it depends". Never an easy answer. In this case, the dog is in a somewhat "strange" environment (in an MRI machine) and the owner's attention is probably going to be more valuable than treats in a somewhat stressful situation (even though these dogs have been trained and don't seem to be anxious in the MRI machine, it's still a pretty unnatural environment for a dog and that in and of itself may be inherently a little stressful, not to mention the noise of the machine--again, dogs are given auditory protection and have been desensitized to the sound of the MRI machine, but it's still a highly unnatural sound for most dogs. This may explain why, in that situation, praise is a preferred reinforcer. I have a little girl who is afraid of loud noises. If we have a thunderstorm, she won't eat treats, but she will soak up attention from us. Luckily, her fear isn't too extreme and a Thundershirt and some management (closing curtains, turning the lights on if it's dark, having the TV or music on) and lots of cuddling do the trick with her.
Dogs don't read books or theory. STOP projecting your needs on them. They are way more basic.
In learning theory, there is this little thing called "motivating operations" at play. Motivating operations means that the value of a particular reinforcer depends upon its "level" in the current situation (so motivating operations can change over time--sometimes rapidly). If you consistently pet your dog, attend to your dog, then praise looses some of its effectiveness as a reinforcer. The dog is "full" of praise. On the other hand, if your dog just had a huge meal, treats are going to loose their effectiveness as a reinforcer. Think of finishing up a huge Thanksgiving dinner and vowing you won't eat for 2 days because you're so full. So "it depends" on the animal's motivating operations. If you've been gone all day and your dog has been stuck in her crate, praise and attention are going to be powerful reinforcers (more than treats). If you had to skip your dog's breakfast (say, for a minor medical procedure, although I can't think of a minor medical procedure that would require you to skip your dog's meal), by dinner time, food is going to be a powerful reinforcer ("Give me a break here, lady. I don't want you to pet me right now, I want you to feed me right now"). So like too much else in real life, "it depends". Never an easy answer. In this case, the dog is in a somewhat "strange" environment (in an MRI machine) and the owner's attention is probably going to be more valuable than treats in a somewhat stressful situation (even though these dogs have been trained and don't seem to be anxious in the MRI machine, it's still a pretty unnatural environment for a dog and that in and of itself may be inherently a little stressful, not to mention the noise of the machine--again, dogs are given auditory protection and have been desensitized to the sound of the MRI machine, but it's still a highly unnatural sound for most dogs. This may explain why, in that situation, praise is a preferred reinforcer. I have a little girl who is afraid of loud noises. If we have a thunderstorm, she won't eat treats, but she will soak up attention from us. Luckily, her fear isn't too extreme and a Thundershirt and some management (closing curtains, turning the lights on if it's dark, having the TV or music on) and lots of cuddling do the trick with her.