Wilhelm von Osten

Wilhelm von Osten

The Story Behind the Name

Hans' Method to Solve Problems

Contributions to Behavioural Psychology

• German horse trainer by trade
• Devoted his time to study the animal psyche
• Inspired by Darwinian concepts (particularly that humans and animals share identical mental capabilities)
• von Osten was eager to prove Darwin's theory and conducted experiments using his horse Hans (der kluge Hans)

• He was able to examine human body language
• Picked up slight facial movements from his trainer or the audience
• Used that as a sign to stop tapping, leading him to the right answer

• Helped researchers grasp one perception mechanism animals use
• Encouraged psychologists to further study animal behaviour
• von Osten's faults highlighted the importance of experimental design to obtain impartial results by eliminating outside influence

Pfungst's Deductions

Classical or Operant Psychologist?

• Psychologist Oskar Pfungst was not convinced of Hans' apparent abilities
• Believed that the horse could not solve equations on his own; something else led Clever Hans to arrive at the correct answer
• Conducted a series of experiments alongside von Osten
• Concluded Hans did not have the ability to solve mathematical equations by himself

• Wilhelm von Osten was a classical psychologist
• Trained Hans to respond to certain behaviours
• Hans would not be able to answer if he sensed a person was tense and noticeably unaware of the answer or turned away
• Wilhelm conditioned Hans to respond to arithmetics and such by training him to recognize numbers and certain behaviours from people

The Clever Hans Experiment

• In 1891, von Osten decided to study the extent of animal intelligence
• Spent a decade teaching his horse, Clever Hans:

• Mathematics
• Language
• Music

Recap

• Claimed Hans could solve mathematical problems like:

The Clever Hans Experiment

• Adding and subtracting
• Listing factors
• Problems regarding fractions

Example: Solve 9 + 1

Significance to Behavioural Psychology

• Osten would place 9 of a certain object on one table and 1 of another object on another table
• Hans would tap 10 times with his hooves to indicate the answer 10.

Test your knowledge gained from this presentation by taking the following quiz!

https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/e2ae93e5-9279-4271-84f7-9570c572b62d

• “Clever Hans Effect” is used to describe the influence of a questioners’ subtle and unintentional cues upon their subjects
• Occurs in both humans and in other animals
• Prevents prejudice and foreknowledge from effecting experimental results
• Clever Hans was not as clever as von Osten thought, but a regular horse who could use his perception to detect whether his answer was right or wrong

Image by goodtextures: http://fav.me/d2he3r8