Research Bites Podcast

In this episode of the Research Bites Podcast, Dr. Kristina Spaulding talks with Dr. Lars Schwabe about what happens to learning and memory when the brain is under stress—and why those changes matter for behavior, training, and mental health.
They begin by unpacking how memory works in the first place, walking through the stages of encoding, consolidation, and retrieval. From there, they explore the still-debated idea of reconsolidation—the possibility that when memories are retrieved, they may briefly become modifiable. Dr. Schwabe discusses the evidence behind this concept, along with early attempts to reduce the emotional intensity of memories in conditions such as addiction and PTSD.
The conversation then turns to the physiology of stress. Dr. Schwabe explains how acute stress activates the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA axis, releasing cortisol and reshaping how the brain prioritizes information. Under these conditions, the amygdala tends to amplify emotionally salient details. As a result, stress can strengthen central aspects of emotional and threat-related learning while weakening contextual information and working memory.
These shifts have important behavioral consequences. When stress is high, certain types of learning becomes stronger—one possible pathway to fear generalization. Dr. Schwabe also discusses how stress can change the type of behavior we rely on. Goal-directed behavior—associated with the prefrontal cortex—allows flexible updating based on outcomes. Habitual behavior, more closely tied to other brain areas, is faster but less flexible. Under stress, the balance can shift toward habits and away from flexible decision-making.
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Spaulding and Dr. Schwabe explore what these findings might mean for animal training, resilience, learned helplessness, and the treatment of stress-related disorders. They also emphasize an important reality of scientific work: translating laboratory findings into real-world practice is complex, and individual differences play a major role in how stress affects learning and beha
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Website: https://sciencemattersllc.com/ 
Unlocking Resilience: https://sciencemattersllc.com/unlocking-resilience
Research Bites: https://sciencemattersllc.com/research-bites
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In this episode of the Research Bites Podcast, I’m joined by my first return guest, Patricia McConnell — Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, beloved author, and former professor at University of Wisconsin–Madison. Many of you know her from The Other End of the Leash and For the Love of a Dog, books that shaped an entire generation of trainers.
But today, we’re talking about something new.
Her debut mystery novel, Away to Me, follows Maddie McGowan — an dog behaviorist living on a small Wisconsin farm — whose world is upended when violence strikes close to home. What unfolds is both a gripping mystery and an accurate portrayal of life as a behavior professional: working with complex clients, navigating canine aggression and trauma, and building partnerships with clients.
In our conversation, we explore:
What fiction allows us to say about dogs that nonfiction sometimes cannot
How to write emotional truth without overstepping scientific evidence
Why sheepdog trials are the perfect dramatic backdrop for exploring partnership and agency
The role of trauma, resilience, and healing — for both people and dogs
Why agency, play, and learning to read canine body language are so important for supporting out dogs
Patricia speaks candidly about walking the line between evidence and intuition, about what dogs teach us when we truly listen, and about the power of story to expand how the public understands behavior work.
If you love a good mystery, or just a good book, especially one where the dogs are written accurately—this episode is for you.
For more information, please check out my website and social media links below!
Website: https://sciencemattersllc.com/ 
Unlocking Resilience: https://sciencemattersllc.com/unlocking-resilience
Research Bites: https://sciencemattersllc.com/research-bites
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Today’s episode is a little different from the usual format.
What you’re hearing is an actual recording from a Research Bites Coffee Break—an informal, unscripted conversation where behavior professionals think out loud about research, ask questions, and explore ideas together. There’s no lecture and no tidy conclusions—just real discussion and curiosity in action.
The topic for this Coffee Break was the distinction between wanting and liking, two concepts that are often treated as interchangeable in training and behavior work, but that turn out to be meaningfully different. Liking refers to how much pleasure an animal experiences from a reinforcer. Wanting reflects motivation—the willingness to work for that reinforcer, sometimes described as something closer to craving.
In this conversation, we explore how wanting and liking interact, why one can be present without the other, and what that means for learning, reinforcement, and behavior change. We also talk about how these ideas can help us think more carefully about motivation in practice, especially when training isn’t going the way we expect.
If you’re interested in how scientific concepts evolve when people slow down, question assumptions, and apply them to real animals and real situations, this episode offers a candid look at that process.
A huge thank you to the Research Bites members who attended this podcast: Juliet Purll, Faith Cleary, Mason Small, Suzanne Bryner, Chrysann Collatos, Lynne Stott, Lori Torrini, Karen Scott, Kristine Adams, Wendy Katz, Shannon Noonan, Paula Philips, Heather Furby, Alice Hengst, Kiem Sie.
For more information, please check out my website and social media links below!
Website: https://sciencemattersllc.com/ 
Unlocking Resilience: https://sciencemattersllc.com/unlocking-resilience
Research Bites: https://sciencemattersllc.com/research-bites
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This podcast was originally released in May 2022 as a shortened version. This is the full version of the original podcast.
Your host: Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB with Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior, LLC

Today’s guest, Dr. Erica Feuerbacher, is an Associate Professor in Animal & Poultry Sciences at Virginia Tech and director of the Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Lab, where she works with dogs and horses. She also coordinates the online Masters's program in Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare at Virginia Tech. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Florida in the UF Canine Cognition and Behavior Lab and her Master’s in Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas in the Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals. She is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Her research and publications focus on understanding domestic animal behavior and learning from a behavior analytic perspective, using applied behavior analysis to solve behavioral issues in dogs and horses, and identifying interventions that improve shelter dog welfare. She is passionate about humane, effective animal training, and working with owners, trainers, and shelter staff to improve our interactions with animals.

In this episode, we discuss types of reinforcers and their effectiveness as well as addressing stress and welfare in shelter dogs.

For more information, please check out my website and social media links below!
Website: https://sciencemattersllc.com/ 
Unlocking Resilience: https://sciencemattersllc.com/unlocking-resilience
Research Bites: https://sciencemattersllc.com/research-bites
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In this episode of the Research Bites Podcast, Dr. Kristina Spaulding dives deep into two foundational—but often under-discussed—forms of non-associative learning: sensitization and habituation. Drawing on research and classic learning theory, she explains what these processes are, how they differ, why they matter, and how they show up every day in companion animals. 
Dr. Spaulding connects the research to practical strategies you can use right away. From monitoring behavior and adjusting stimulus intensity to incorporating conditioning and systematic desensitization, this episode offers clear guidance for helping animals move toward calmer, more adaptive responses.  This episode will help you learn how to apply these principles thoughtfully in real-world training and behavior work. 
Whether you're a trainer, behavior consultant, or simply passionate about science-informed practice, this episode will deepen your understanding of how animals learn—and how you can support them more effectively.
For more information, please check out my website and social media links below!
Website: https://sciencemattersllc.com/ 
Unlocking Resilience: https://sciencemattersllc.com/unlocking-resilience
Research Bites: https://sciencemattersllc.com/research-bites
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