Stimulus selection and tracking during urination: autoshaping directed behavior with toilet targets.

The team placed a small floating target in a toilet bowl. They wanted to see if the target alone could teach men with intellectual disability to aim their urine stream.

No words. No prompts. Just the red disk bobbing in the water. They tracked hits and misses across sessions.

Within a few visits, every participant hit the target most of the time. The floating disk acted like a magnet for the urine stream.

Staff did not need to give reminders or clean extra mess. The men learned simply by the target being there.

Malouff et al. (1985) later used the same autoshaping idea to teach babies to signal potty time. Both studies show that a single cue can start a toileting chain without direct teaching.

Gillberg et al. (1983) first proved autoshaping with pigeons pecking colored keys. Neumann (1977) moved the same principle from lab birds to real human bathrooms.

Gladstone et al. (1975) shaped crows to use sticks two years earlier. K’s work shows the method crosses species and can solve everyday hygiene problems.

If you support adults or boys who miss the bowl, drop a colored float inside. Pick something that stays in place and is easy to see. You may get quick, clean improvements without extra staff time or verbal prompts.