Susan G. Friedman, PhD

Susan Friedman, Ph.D., is currently a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Utah State University.
A behaviourist for more than 30 years, her area of expertise is learning and behaviour with a special emphasis on children's behaviour disorders.
In the last several years, Susan has pioneered efforts to apply to animals the humane philosophy and scientifically sound teaching technology from the field of Applied Behaviour Analysis, which has been so effective with human learners.

The guiding principle of this approach is a hierarchy of teaching interventions starting with the most positive, least intrusive, effective behaviour solutions.

Friedman is a steadfast proponent of changing behaviour through facilitation rather than force, focusing on animals' extraordinary biologic capacity to learn by interacting with their environment. She teaches that by changing the environment for success, animals learn to behave successfully. Friedman currently offers two internet-based courses, Living and Learning with Animals for professionals, and Living and Learning with Parrots for caregivers. So far, her students have hailed from 23 different countries. She has contributed chapters on learning and behavior for three avian veterinary texts (Harrison and Lightfoot's Clinical Avian Medicine, Luescher's Manual Parrot behaviour, and Tynes's Behavior of Exotic Pet Animals), and enjoys writing for a variety of popular parrot magazines. Her articles have been translated into nine languages. (See her site for more information about her courses and links to her recent articles.)

Friedman has given seminars on animal learning and behaviour around the world, including Australia, Botswana, Canada, England, Holland, Ireland, Israel, France, New Zealand, and Sweden. She has presented at a wide variety of conferences, such as the Association of Avian Veterinarians, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, the American Federation of Aviculturists and Moorpark College's Exotic Animal Training and Management program and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Colloquium. Friedman is a core member of the US Fish and Wildlife Condor Recovery Project and has been nominated for the Media Award, given by the International Association of Behavior Analysis, for her efforts to disseminate to pet owners, veterinarians, trainers and zookeepers some of the essential tools they need to empower and enrich the lives of all learners.

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