If you consult Merriam-Webster, the word “aversive” means “tending to avoid or causing avoidance of a noxious or punishing stimulus.” Does that sound like a training method you’d want to use on your ...

Pet supplies is big business. In 2019, Americans spent $95.7 billion on our pets. With companies vying for pet parent dollars, it can seem like there is a product for everything. While many of these ...

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 ...

One of the main influences on our behavior is the consequences of our actions, especially those that come shortly after we perform that action. For example, when a behavior is followed by positive and ...

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 ...

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 ...

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, ...