Exactly Wrong

"Okay, here's the problem. This guy, I'll call him ClueBoy, was assuming that he'd get better service from the paid person than from the enthusiast because money would be a reward. That puts us in the realm of operant conditioning, a field about which most people know just enough to make psychologists cringe:

"Behavior + Reward = Increased Behavior

"Well, kind of. It is, like most things, a bit more complex than that. Some of those complications involve the kinds of behavior it's possible to shape through operant conditioning. Others involve the effects of reinforcement on behavior that isn't being reinforced. That's where this guy's "common sense" failed him."

Complete Story

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