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, ...

Positive reinforcement involves adding something good after a behavior to make it happen more often. Reinforcement works best when given right after the behavior happens to keep the right connections.

Ask a group of experts why it is hard to lose weight, and you'll likely hear some of the following answers: Diets don't work because people can't stick to them. Our metabolism fights back, causing ...

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 ...

Eunice Framm, senior keeper of barnyard animals at the Cincinnati Zoo, has taught pigs to bowl, goats to paint, and red pandas to receive vaccines. She, and all other keepers, do so through the zoo’s ...

There likely isn’t a robotics teacher institute in the world actively pursuing robotic learning. The field, after all, holds the key to unlocking a lot of potential for the industry. One of the things ...

Horses are commonly trained using negative reinforcement. However, a growing body of scientific evidence supports positive reinforcement as an efficient training method for horses. In this study we ...

In the fast-paced world of healthcare, I’ve learned that creating a positive work environment is essential for both staff well-being and patient care. At the core of both outcomes is fostering a ...

It was such a pleasure seeing Boston police officers being praised for what they were doing right: using de-escalation in making arrests in three recent melees without firing a single shot (“Amid ...

Dairy cows receive a huge amount of care during their lives on a farm, but procedures, especially restraining during procedures, can be stressful for some animals. Positive reinforcement training -- ...

In both business and music, the power of recognition is undeniable. Success hinges not just on raw talent but on the environment in which that talent is nurtured. Positive reinforcement — a strategy ...