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A clicker, sometimes called a cricket,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is any device that makes a clicking sound, usually when deliberately activated by its user.
They usually consist of a piece of thin metal or plastic held in a casing so that the metal is slightly torqued; depressing one end of the metal causes it to pop out of alignment and releasing it causes it to pop back into alignment, each time making a sharp click.
With some clickers, the user depresses the metal directly with thumb or finger; with others, a button extends above the surface of the casing so that depressing the button makes the metal click.
Social usesEdit
- In World War II clickers were used by Allied paratroopers preceding and during Operation Overlord as a way of covertly identifying friend from foe.<ref name=Ferguson /> A soldier would click once and if two clicks were received in return from an unidentifiable soldier then his identification was confirmed.<ref name=Ferguson>Template:Cite AV media</ref>
- Clickers are used to provide audible feedback for human students learning using a method called TAGteach.
- Clickers were used to organize Catholic group activity.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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"The clickers were dime store crickets that made a nice, loud click, perfect for signaling a First Communion class so all the kids would stand up at the same time, and kneel at the same time, and start filing down the aisle together."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> — Roger Ebert
Animal training usesEdit
Template:Main article Clickers were first used by marine mammal trainer Karen Pryor as a way of communicating with their animals. Dolphins and whales communicate underwater through a series of clicks and whistles known as echolocation, and the clicker allowed a trainer to produce signals they were more likely to understand.Template:Cn
Clickers are now used to train dogs, and other animals. When associated with a treat, a click allows the owner to mark the precise moment the desired behavior is executed.Template:Cn
Other usesEdit
- Template:AnchorClickers are also used as a handheld counting device, sometimes digital but more commonly mechanical, used to keep a count of the numbers of people entering a venue. It is often used by nightclub doorstaff to make sure fire limits are not exceeded.
- A clicker is a device used on recurve bows to signal to the archer that correct draw length has been achieved, thus aiding consistency.
- Some board games designed after game shows come with clickers that are meant to emulate the buzzers common on such shows.