Another one of my pet peeves is the fact that many people – civilians and scientists alike – use the phrase “negative reinforcement” to mean “punishment.” The two are not at all the same; in fact, ...

Operant conditioning, sometimes called instrumental conditioning or Skinnerian conditioning, is a method of learning that uses rewards and punishment to modify behavior. Through operant conditioning, ...

Some of the most common tools parents and teachers use for managing children’s behaviors are rewards and punishments. While these methods tend to lose effectiveness as a child ages, there are times ...

I was recently talking to a business owner who has really been struggling to get ahead. They have been working 80-plus hours a week and burning the candle at both ends. They weren’t sleeping, they ...

Reinforcement is defined as “the action of strengthening or encouraging something.” Many people think reinforcement means providing rewards, especially for good behavior. While this is true, ...

Positive- and negative-reinforcement consequences of smoking were assessed using a self-report inventory. Data from 429 current smokers (348 women, 81 men) were subjected to an exploratory factor ...

Think negative reinforcement means punishment? Wrong. Think OCD is just about being tidy? Wrong again. Here are 5 psychology ...

Whether you have a brand-new puppy or recently adopted an older dog, you’ve likely come across the term “positive reinforcement” when looking up training techniques. But, what is positive ...

The University’s persistence on instituting a dubious rule to increase six-year graduation rates is ill conceived and will end up harming students. After all, the school’s proposed policies are mainly ...