Pokemon Cognition and Training

Central to the idea of Pokemon training, is the concept of Pokemon intelligence, or the ability of a Pokemon to learn, think, and solve problems. Pokemon Trainers, breeders, and researchers have as much difficulty agreeing on a method for testing Pokemon intelligence as they do for human intelligence. After all, the meaning of intelligence in general is hard to define: some tests measure problem-solving abilities and others test the ability to learn in comparison to others of the same age.
One specific difficulty involved in testing is confusing a Pokemon's obedience training with intelligence. Although certain Pokemon are claimed to be "smarter" species because of their obedience, the ability and willingness to learn and obey commands is not the only possible measure of intelligence; for example, Misdreavus are fascinated with the myriad possibilities for escaping from their Trainers and frightening smaller Pokemon, often figuring out numerous and ingenious ways of doing both.
Further compounding the issue is that some species (such as Growlithe) have been selectively bred for hundreds or thousands of years for the quality of learning quickly. Moreover, that quality has been downplayed for other breeds in favor of other characteristics like the ability to track or hunt game. The capacity to learn basic obedience and complicated behavior, though, is inherent in all Pokemon.
To understand Pokemon intelligence, one must acknowledge that (although not all Pokemon are pack animals) every Pokemon understands social structure and obligations, and are capable of interacting with others. Many adults of various species train their young by "correcting" them when they behave in an unacceptable manner (such as biting too hard or eating out of turn) and reward them for acceptable behavior by playing with them, feeding them, or cleaning them.

All Pokemon have the ability to interpret phrases such as "fetch the sock" in terms of its component words (rather than considering its utterance to be a single word). A recent study in the journal PNAS concluded that Pokemon can feel complex emotions, like jealousy.
It has been researched and proven likely that many Pokemon have the ability to premeditate an action to solve a problem, and almost all Pokemon have the drive to keep trying various things until they accidentally reach a solution and make an association between the "accident" and the result.
Testing and Research
Certain intelligence tests involve the Pokemon's ability to recognize and respond to a large vocabulary of commands, but other tests involve their desire or ability to respond to different situations.
Various studies have attempted to rigorously classify the intelligence of Pokemon. Academy psychologist Kathy Coon developed the first intelligence test for Pokemon in 1976. Assessments were developed to test short memory, agility, ability to adapt, problem solving, unique detour problems, and to see how the Pokemon reacts to conditions which it finds unacceptable. A recent example is Pokemon Psychologist Juliane Kaminski's paper in Science that demonstrated that Rio, a Chatot, could learn over 200 words. Rio could remember the names of several items for up to four weeks after its last exposure (Kaminski eliminated the Clever Hans effect using strict protocols).
Pokemon Training
As most domestic Pokemon live with people who want them to behave in ways that make them pleasant to be around, Pokemon Training is, among other things, the process of teaching a Pokemon to perform behaviors in response to certain commands. Common behaviors are "coming when called," "sit," and teaching the Pokemon to relieve itself outside.
There is much controversy about what is the most effective way to train a Pokemon. Some say that it involves using positive reinforcement, while others claim that it involves harsh training and tools that inflict punishment as the term is used in operant conditioning. As such, there are many methods of Pokemon training and many objectives, from basic obedience training for pets to specialized areas including law enforcement, competition, or search and rescue. Regardless of personal philosophies, a Pokemon requires discipline, consistency, and the patience of its owner.
Basic Pokemon obedience training usually consists of seven behaviors: sit, down, stay, recall, close, heel, up. Corrections are a form of punishment and can be physical or mental. The Pokemon's personality, behavior, and the importance of the correct behavior should all be taken into account in using corrections with the Pokemon.
Fundamentally, Pokemon training is about communication. From the human perspective, the handler is communicating to the Pokemon what behaviors are correct, desired, or preferred in different circumstances an what behaviors are undesirable. Using consistent signals or words for these messages enables a Pokemon to understand them more quickly, thus the Pokemon League's standardization of attack commands.
Additionally, a Trainer must understand communication from the Pokemon. A Pokemon can signal that he is unsure, confused, nervous, happy, excited, and so on. The emotional state of the Pokemon is an important consideration in directing the training, as a Pokemon that is stressed or distracted will not learn efficiently.
While training a Pokemon takes time and patience, Pokemon do typically understand what their Trainer wants fairly quickly. For example, when the Trainer says "sit," there should be a set tone and motion. After the Pokemon has experienced seeing and hearing this routinely, along with obtaining the muscle memory, the action of "sitting" becomes an image set in their minds. The next time the Trainer says "sit" with the same tone and motion, the Pokemon receives an image showing it the action and is, therefore, able to sit.
Clarity while demanding what a Pokemon does is also of great importance. The Pokemon associates the words the Trainer says with not only the tone, but also with the sound of the letter in each word. "Sit" ends with a strong "T," while "Stay" ends with a drawn out vowel sound. The Pokemon may or may not understand the difference between consonants an vowels (depending on species), but the sound associated with the words allows the Pokemon to associate an auditory element to each command.