Rewards are one of the most common ways that people think of to get other people to do stuff. In the talks that I give on the topic I tell people that rewards are actually one of the least effective ...

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 ...

Everyone likes to be rewarded with something for free, especially if they’ve had to pay money initially. It’s human nature. There are many aspects in life where this is true. When you walk down the ...

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.” ...

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 ...

Researchers discover that the phosphorylation of a newly identified protein kinase substrate downstream of the dopamine signaling pathway regulates the brain reward behavior. The nucleus accumbens, ...

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) ...

One reason some people find slot machines so addictive is that they never know when dropping a quarter will win a jackpot. The uncertainty helps keep some people playing. In one experiment, the ...

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 ...