1. Secrets of the Whisperers
(motivation and gamification)

3. Operant Conditioning

4. DECREASE
behavior
INCREASE
behavior
Positive
+
(add)
Negative
–
(subtract)
+P
Add to punish
–P
Subtract to punish
+R
Add to reinforce
–R
Subtract to reinforce
Punishment Reinforce

5. DECREASE
behavior
INCREASE
behavior
Positive
+
(add)
Negative
–
(subtract)
+P
Add to punish
–P
Subtract to punish
+R
Add to reinforce
–R
Subtract to reinforce
Rewards
Positive Reinforcement

6. DECREASE
behavior
INCREASE
behavior
Positive
+
(add)
Negative
–
(subtract)
+P
Add to punish
–P
Subtract to punish
+R
Add to reinforce
–R
Subtract to reinforce
Rewards
Release
Rewards
Positive Reinforcement
Negative Reinforcement

7. DECREASE
behavior
INCREASE
behavior
Positive
+
(add)
Negative
–
(subtract)
+P
Add to punish
–P
Subtract to punish
+R
Add to reinforce
–R
Subtract to reinforce
Rewards
Release
Most animal training

8. DECREASE
behavior
INCREASE
behavior
Positive
+
(add)
Negative
–
(subtract)
+P
Add to punish
–P
Subtract to punish
+R
Add to reinforce
–R
Subtract to reinforce
RewardsDiscomfort
But many use punishment
Release

9. DECREASE
behavior
INCREASE
behavior
Positive
+
(add)
Negative
–
(subtract)
+P
Add to punish
–P
Subtract to punish
+R
Add to reinforce
–R
Subtract to reinforce
RewardsDiscomfort
Schools & Animal Training are the same
Release

10. 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?

11. DECREASE
behavior
INCREASE
behavior
Positive
+
(add)
Negative
–
(subtract)
+P
Add to punish
–P
Subtract to punish
+R
Add to reinforce
–R
Subtract to reinforce
RewardsDiscomfort
Most arguments are over WHICH quadrant
Release

12. Missing the bigger, deeper, crucial question:
Should we be using operant conditioning?

13. DECREASE
behavior
INCREASE
behavior
Positive
+
(add)
Negative
–
(subtract)
+P
Add to punish
–P
Subtract to punish
+R
Add to reinforce
–R
Subtract to reinforce
Rewards

14. Positive Reinforcement (+R)
(mostly rewards)
super motivating

15. The secret is the reinforcement schedule.

16. Intermittent Variable Rewards
done right, generate the MOST
excitement and engagement

17. Skinner trained pigeons to do missile guidance

18. It stimulates “seeking” behavior

19. But...

20. The Dark Side

21. it’s very, very dark

22. so dark, it hijacks people’s brains

23. so dark, it almost killed my horse
so dark, it almost killed my horse

24. and we’re using it on people

25. puzzle solving, drawings, writing...

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

27. DECREASE
behavior
INCREASE
behavior
Positive
+
(add)
Negative
–
(subtract)
+P
Add to punish
–P
Subtract to punish
+R
Add to reinforce
–R
Subtract to reinforce
Punishment Reinforce
Instead of fighting over how to do THIS:

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

33. “People are not horses...”
the sentence that changed my life:

38. If treating animals like animals can do harm

39. We might want to be careful with people...

40. True motivation comes from:
Autonomy
Mastery
Meaning/Purpose/Relatedness