Acclimation or habituation: The process of gradually getting an animal used to a situation. By prolonged exposure, the animal becomes accustomed to a space that it normally would avoid.

Baseline: The frequency that behavior is performed prior to initiating a behavior modification program. The rate of performance used to evaluate the effect of the program. In experimental work, the term is often used to refer to the control group, which serves as a basis for evaluating data from the experimental group.

Bridge: A stimulus that pinpoints in time the precise moment of a desired response and bridges the gap in time between that point and when the animal may receive further reward. A signal that is conditioned to be reinforcing because it is paired with other reinforces which evolves to pinpoint an instant in time for the animal in training. Intermediate bridge signals the animals that at that instant it is on the path to success, but has not completed the behavior yet. Terminal bridge signals the instant at which an animal successfully completes a requested behavior. The bridge is a stimulus, which signals the delivery of a reinforcer. Often called a secondary or conditioned reinforcer because it acquires its effectiveness through a history of being paired with primary reinforcement, such as food to a hungry animal.

Conditioned Reinforcer: A stimulus, which has been paired with the elements of enjoyment. The animal is conditioned to enjoy a stimulus. Examples are tactile, clickers, playing, playing with toys, and interacting with enrichment devices.

Cue: A signal, which will elicit a specific behavior or reflex, as a result of a learned association.

Desensitization: Actively pairing a positive reinforcer with a negative event until the negative event loses its ability to influence a behavior. Exposing an animal to a stimulus using time or experience to drive the stimulus value towards neutral. A process of changing an animal's perception of an event, negative or positive, but usually negative, to a neutral perception. Success is evidenced by the animals lack of response to the event when compared to a previous baseline.

Differential Reinforcement: Reinforcing selected responses of higher quality to improve performance.

Extinction: Method of eliminating a behavior by not reinforcing it any longer. This method is most effective when paired with reinforcement of alternative behavior.

Extinction is a procedure where the reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior is discontinued. If the animal has no opportunity to engage in the behavior, then the term extinction is inappropriate. There is a decrease in frequency of the behavior.

Generalization: Reinforcement of a specific behavior increases the frequency of similar behaviors. Generalization is the process of comparing events, consequences or objects, which have some trait in common and recognizing that common trait. In training, an animal can be taught to allow a series of specific people to touch it. Eventually, the animal will let all people pet him, even if they are strangers.

Immediacy of Reinforcement: A critical feature of conditioning. The art of reinforcing, exactly following the behavior, is intended to increase in frequency of the behavior. If reinforcement is delayed as much as a couple of seconds, the animal may follow some other behavior.

Incompatible Behavior: One that interferes with, or cannot be performed at the time, with another behavior.

Jackpot or Bonus: A reward that is much bigger than normal reinforcer, and comes as a surprise to subject.

Negative Reinforcement: Following an action or response by removing an unpleasant event, or stimulus, no matter how mild, that the subject wants to avoid. For example: a loud buzzer, spray from a hose, the side of a restraint chute moving inward, etc.

Operant Conditioning: A type of learning in which the probability of a behavior recurring is increased or decreased by the consequences that follows. This includes positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment.

Primary Reinforcer: An event that is naturally reinforcing satisfies biological drives, and is not dependent on learning. Examples: food, water and sex. Psychologists define a primary reinforcer as any stimulus that reduces a need or motive.

Positive Reinforcement: Following an action or response with something the subject wants: food, praise, tactile contact, play, favorite toy, released to a favored place, etc.

Punishment: An unpleasant action whose purpose is to reduce the likelihood that a behavior will occur again. Occurs after the response, so subject cannot change the behavior, and give no information about how to change the behavior. Punishment is not appropriate during the learning stages of a behavior. Potential risks: it may actually strengthen behavior, such as escalating aggression or animal may cease undesired behavior but replace it with another undesirable behavior or animal may learn not to perform behavior in presence of trainer. Examples: spraying animals with a hose, withholding food or water. Routine events can be used as punishment such as separating or isolating animals. A time out is the most appropriate form of punishment to use with primates. The exception is a life/death situation. Negative punishment is the removal of a positive stimulus, something the animal seeks to encounter, from the animals environment following a response, thereby decreasing the frequency of that response. Positive punishment is addition of an averse stimulus, something the animal seeks to avoid, to the animals environment following a response, thereby decreasing the frequency of that response.

Reinforcement: Anything positive or negative, which occurring in conjunction with an act, tends to increase the probability that the act will occur again. It is information that tells the subject what you like or don't like. The consequence can be either the presentation of a positive reinforcer or the removal of a negative reinforcer. Reinforcements are relative, not absolute.

Regression: Deterioration in learning process or performance of a behavior, usually temporary; a normal part of training process. Also refers to when a trainer retraces the steps in the shaping process to reinforce lesser levels of performance.

Response: The actual performance of the behavior. Measures of observed behavior.

Reward: A return for a correct response to a stimulus. The reward can also be a stimulus that when presented upon the successful performance of a task elicits within an animal the feeling of satisfaction.

Stimulus: Anything that causes some kind of behavioral response; a cue or signal. It can be anything the subject can perceive.

Stimulus Control: When a trained behavior occurs consistently in response to an appropriate cue or stimulus. Use a subjective measure of performance by tracking the response (e.g., 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%).

Schedules of Reinforcement: Rules that govern the delivery of reinforcement.

1. Continuous: Reinforcement is given after every correct response. This is necessary in learning stage and to maintain invasive or unpleasant behaviors.

2. Variable or intermittent: Reinforcing on a random or unpredictable basis. This may be better for maintaining behavior.

3. Selective or differential: Reinforcing selected responses of higher quality to improve performance.

4. Jackpot or bonus: A reward that is much bigger than normal reinforcer, and comes as a surprise to subject.

Shaping or Successive Approximation or Chaining: Successive approximation is used to condition performance, which is not currently in the animals repertoire. Building a behavior by dividing it into small increments or steps and then teaching one step at a time until the desired behavior is achieved. Steps become a series of intermediate goals. The process of learning a sequence of behaviors that proceeds semi-automatically in a determined order; the last previous response provides the necessary cue that determines which behavior comes next.

Superstitious Behavior: When training, sometimes you reinforce a behavior you don't want. Even though there is no intentional connection between the animal's performance and the reinforcer, there is still an increased in frequency of the performance. It is an undesired behavior that is unrelated to the desired behavior, but is accidentally reinforced, and then becomes fixed in the subject's mind as necessary for reinforcement. Trainer is often unaware that this is being reinforced.

Target: A prop, which pinpoints a critical location for an animal in training. This location may be a body contact point on the stationary animal, it may be a destination point, or it may be a place where other critical information will appear. The target can be an extended finger or fist, the end of a pole, a mark on a wall or a paper, a plaque. Essentially, the trainer and the animal each extend a target contact point toward the other, meeting in the middle.

Training: The art of using operant conditioning techniques to obtain desired behaviors. Teaching. Communication

Time Out: A mild form of punishment in which positive reinforcement and/or opportunity for positive reinforcement is withheld for a brief period of time immediately following an inappropriate or undesirable response. In essence, the animal receives no cues from the trainer, but also cannot influence the trainer to produce a consequence such as food or praise until the "time out" has passed.