One thing I found incredibly daunting when I started my transition from traditional horsemanship was the array of new vocabulary i’d never heard of before. It made reading some articles a challenge and there was a lot that went over my head or seemed needlessly confusing. I made an index of common terms which I tried to explain in an easy to understand way as I could.
A learning process through which a behavior is learned or modified by reinforcement or punishment aka consequences. An association is created between the behavior and the consequence. Operant conditioning uses reinforcers to increase the probability of a behavior occurring again or punishers to decrease the chance of the behavior occurring.
A learning process which utilizes association to teach or modify a behavior/response. Typically an unconditioned stimulus is paired with a neutral stimulus until it becomes a conditioned stimulus. E.g Pavlov using the sound of a bell (neutral stimulus) to precede giving the animals food (unconditioned stimulus) eventually causing the dog to salivate at the sound of the bell (an conditioned response to a conditioned stimulus)
Response from the environment or trainer that increase the chance of a behavior being repeated
Responses from the environment that decrease the chance of the behavior being repeated.
Something that triggers a response in the animal naturally and automatically. E.g food.
Things that do not trigger a natural response in the animal, but through association now provokes a response. E.g dogs becoming excited when they see a lead.
Something that triggers no response in the animal. E.g a lead is a neutral stimulus, it’s through association it becomes a conditioned stimulus
A response an animal automatically gives as established through training, a reaction to a previously neutral stimulus. E.g Pavlov’s Dogs salivating at the sound of a bell.
An automatic/natural response triggered by an unconditioned stimulas, e.g animals salivating at the sight of food