Field Guide · Glossary
Secondary reinforcer
Learning scienceSomething that acquires value by reliably predicting something the animal already wants.
How it works
It begins as neutral. A click, a word, or the sight of a treat pouch means nothing until it has been paired with food often enough that it comes to function as payment in its own right. That is what makes precise marking possible: the sound can be delivered instantly at a distance, and the food can catch up later. Because the value is borrowed rather than intrinsic, it fades if the pairing stops, and a marker that stops predicting anything eventually stops working.
What it looks like
A clicker means nothing to a dog on the first day. After thirty pairings with food it produces the same head turn food does, and it can be used to mark a behavior happening thirty feet away.
Commonly confused with
- Primary reinforcer
- A primary reinforcer is valued without any learning: food, water, sniffing. A secondary reinforcer only works because it has been paired with one of those, which is why it can also stop working.
Related terms
Where this comes up
Gear that helps
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Clicker
A clear, consistent marker your dog learns to trust. One click means "yes, that, a treat is coming," which sharpens your timing on everything else.