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, ...

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, ...

To put it mildly, parenting can be rough. It's difficult to know what to do, and especially with a toddler or young child, quick thinking is required. As the mom of a 2-year-old, I'll admit that ...

Fear is a very normal, core part of being a human being. Pretending that we’re not afraid or that there’s no danger might not be the healthiest way to go through life. Instead, by embracing and ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

Think negative reinforcement means punishment? Wrong. Think OCD is just about being tidy? Wrong again. Here are 5 psychology misconceptions everyone gets wrong—and the truth behind them. More Than 200 ...

One of the great misnomers of our sport is the term "negative split," which means running the second half of a race or training run faster than the first half. But running a negative split is hardly a ...

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 ...