Description
In the wild, animals are free to behave for desired outcomes in an ever-changing environment with few restrictions on the form, frequency, duration, or intensity of their behavior. Freely interacting with diverse challenges in a responsive environment produces extensive behavioral repertoires with which animals exert control over their world. Like the wild conditions, zoo environments can be arranged to better support diverse behavior for diverse outcomes. We call this arrangement a free-operant environment. Enriched with behavioral opportunities and reinforcers that support the core interests of the animal, a free-operant environment induces a wide range of behavior for a variety of outcomes.