Nucleus accumbens (NAc) dopamine is widely implicated in mediating the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse. However, the precise function of the NAc itself in drug self-administration has been ...

In my last blog post, I wrote about using a continuous reinforcement schedule when you want to establish a new behavior. And I hinted that you should change that schedule after the behavior is ...

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, ...

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.

Rewards are one of the most common ways that people think of to get other people to do stuff. In the talks that I give on the topic I tell people that rewards are actually one of the least effective ...

Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 Introduction: Learning to Change -- Preview -- The Constancy of Change -- Natural Selection -- Evolved Behavior -- Reflexes -- Modal Action Patterns -- General ...