Operant Conditioning: Consequences and Their Limits
In 1930, B.F. Skinner placed a rat in a box with a lever. When the rat pressed the lever, a food pellet dropped. The rat pressed more.
January 2025
Understanding Self-Determination Theory and Motivation
In 1971, Edward Deci paid students to solve Soma puzzles they previously enjoyed, and found they spent less time on the puzzles during free time...
Learned Helplessness: Why People Stop Trying to Escape
Martin Seligman and Steven Maier gave dogs inescapable electric shocks in 1967. When later placed in a box where escape was easy, the dogs did not...
November 2024
Intermittent Reinforcement: Unpredictable Rewards Explained
Intermittent reinforcement explains why slot machines, social media likes, and even toxic relationships can be impossible to quit.