Positive and negative reinforcement have become buzzwords for animal behaviorists. But, they are also concepts that you can use as a dog parent to help your pup develop into a well-behaved canine ...

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 ...

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 ...

Here is a psychologist’s perspective on the housing bubble: it may just be the result of positive reinforcement. Burrhus Frederic Skinner, a US psychologist was an early pioneer of the "reinforcement" ...

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 ...

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 ...

Positive reinforcement is a technique we intuitively make use of on daily basis. We usually don’t give it much thought, nor label it as a behavioral strategy. Encouragement from our loved ones (and ...

Contingent: depending on something else that might or might not happen; likely, but not certain to happen (e.g., plans to go to the beach are contingent on the weather) (From Merriam-Webster) Positive ...

At the core of reinforcement learning is the concept that the optimal behavior or action is reinforced by a positive reward. Similar to toddlers learning how to walk who adjust actions based on the ...