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, ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American While second nature to many of us, driving a ...

Around the beginning of the 20th century, Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov taught dogs to associate doggie dinner with the sound of a bell — and so trained them to reflexively salivate when they heard ...

Operant conditioning is a theory that explains how behaviors are influenced by their consequences or results. It’s often used today to help people adopt new behaviors or change old habits. If you’ve ...