Training Nonhuman Primates Using Positive Reinforcement Techniques.

The article presents guest editor's introduction on issues related to training nonhuman primates using positive reinforcement techniques, published in the January 2003 issue of the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. According to the editor, primates in the laboratory may experience a plethora of potential stressors including physical and chemical restraint, venipuncture, injection, and participation in other husbandry routines such as catching, cage change, and weighing. Training them to cooperate voluntarily, using positive reinforcement training (PRT) techniques, is one of the means of significantly reducing the adverse impact of such procedures and husbandry routines on them.