Secrets of the Whisperers(motivation and gamification)

Operant Conditioning

DECREASEbehavior

INCREASEbehavior

Positive+

(add)

Negative–

(subtract)

+PAdd to punish

–PSubtract to punish

+RAdd to reinforce

–RSubtract to reinforce

Punishment Reinforce

DECREASEbehavior

INCREASEbehavior

Positive+

(add)

Negative–

(subtract)

+PAdd to punish

–PSubtract to punish

+RAdd to reinforce

–RSubtract to reinforce

Rewards

Positive Reinforcement

DECREASEbehavior

INCREASEbehavior

Positive+

(add)

Negative–

(subtract)

+PAdd to punish

–PSubtract to punish

+RAdd to reinforce

–RSubtract to reinforce

Rewards

Release

Rewards

Positive Reinforcement

Negative Reinforcement

DECREASEbehavior

INCREASEbehavior

Positive+

(add)

Negative–

(subtract)

+PAdd to punish

–PSubtract to punish

+RAdd to reinforce

–RSubtract to reinforce

Rewards

Release

Most animal training

DECREASEbehavior

INCREASEbehavior

Positive+

(add)

Negative–

(subtract)

+PAdd to punish

–PSubtract to punish

+RAdd to reinforce

–RSubtract to reinforce

RewardsDiscomfort

But many use punishment

Release

DECREASEbehavior

INCREASEbehavior

Positive+

(add)

Negative–

(subtract)

+PAdd to punish

–PSubtract to punish

+RAdd to reinforce

–RSubtract to reinforce

RewardsDiscomfort

Schools & Animal Training are the same

Release

Heated battles in animal training(and education) over:

Which quadrant?

What “reinforcement schedule?”

Are we incentivizing the right thing?

Do we have the right incentives?

DECREASEbehavior

INCREASEbehavior

Positive+

(add)

Negative–

(subtract)

+PAdd to punish

–PSubtract to punish

+RAdd to reinforce

–RSubtract to reinforce

RewardsDiscomfort

Most arguments are over WHICH quadrant

Release

Missing the bigger, deeper, crucial question:

Should we be using operant conditioning?

DECREASEbehavior

INCREASEbehavior

Positive+

(add)

Negative–

(subtract)

+PAdd to punish

–PSubtract to punish

+RAdd to reinforce

–RSubtract to reinforce

Rewards

Positive Reinforcement (+R)(mostly rewards)

super motivating

The secret is the reinforcement schedule.

Intermittent Variable Rewardsdone right, generate the MOST excitement and engagement

Skinner trained pigeons to do missile guidance

It stimulates “seeking” behavior

But...

The Dark Side

it’s very, very dark

so dark, it hijacks people’s brains

so dark, it almost killed my horse

so dark, it almost killed my horse

and we’re using it on people

puzzle solving, drawings, writing...

Under some conditions, ANY of the four quadrants can lead to de-

motivation

DECREASEbehavior

INCREASEbehavior

Positive+

(add)

Negative–

(subtract)

+PAdd to punish

–PSubtract to punish

+RAdd to reinforce

–RSubtract to reinforce

Punishment Reinforce

Instead of fighting over how to do THIS:

We should ask if we should do it... at all.Ever.

“People are not horses...”

the sentence that changed my life:

If treating animals like animals can do harm

We might want to be careful with people...

True motivation comes from:

AutonomyMastery

Meaning/Purpose/Relatedness