The Pryor Foundation aims to advance the study and use of marker-based training to shape behavior in both humans and animals. The organization focuses on research, dissemination of information, guidance provision, and serving as a networking hub for those involved in marker-based training. This includes exploring efficacy, potential applications, and underlying psychological and neurological processes of marker-based training.
The Pryor Foundation Grant supports a broad range of initiatives linked to marker-based training. This methodology, rooted in free-operant conditioning, uses markers like clicks or whistles as signals for positive reinforcement to teach desired behaviors in both humans and animals. The grant emphasizes various application areas: improving animal training techniques with an emphasis on positive reinforcement; applying behavior analysis to assist individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism, through all-positive behavior shaping; enhancing sports coaching by breaking down and reinforcing small skill improvements; and as a tool in violence prevention, teaching at-risk parents and families how to employ these non-coercive teaching methods to foster better family dynamics and reduce the risk of abuse. The foundation supports research, information dissemination, and the creation of networks among practitioners and researchers in these fields.