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 ...

A study has found that adolescents become highly motivated to seek rewards after just a few hours of social isolation. This may be beneficial in driving them toward social interaction, but when ...

Recent evidence suggests that a single dose of the psychedelic compound psilocybin reduces the drive to seek out rewards, providing evidence for its potential to treat substance use disorders. A new ...

Every parent has offered incentives: “If you’re patient while I get the tires rotated, we’ll get ice cream afterwards.” Or, “if you play nicely with your cousin, you can use the iPad before dinner.” ...

Punishing students for poor performance may be more effective than rewarding them for doing well, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. In an ...

When it comes to rewards and punishments, which is more effective -- the carrot or the stick? A simple experiment suggests that punishments are more likely to influence behavior than rewards. The ...

One part of the basal ganglia, known as the nucleus accumbens (NAc), is composed of medium spiny neurons (MSNs). The MSNs, in which the dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) and dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) ...

Your small business must achieve the goals you set so it can succeed. However, you must achieve those goals by motivating others in your organization. The threat of punishment has long been ...