Polar Vortex and +R Ramblings (Behavior Science part 2)

Hello friends!

We’re having a bit of a polar vortex in middle TN this week. We are getting quite the accumulation of sleet and ice instead of snow… and boy it is NASTY! I hope you all are staying safe, warm and dry wherever you are reading from today.

So last week we talked a little bit about behavior science and the different types of reinforcements and punishments that influence behavior. If you missed that email, no worries! I’ve transcribed it into a blog post, which you can read here:

Let’s Talk Behavior Science

This week I figured we’d stay on that same topic and cover some of the “why” behind my switch to using positive reinforcement as my preferred training method.

Remember - they aren’t called “positive” and “negative” because they’re “good” or “bad.” Think about it in the mathematical sense meaning to add something or take something away. I want to be clear that just because I’m advocating for the use of positive reinforcement doesn’t mean I think negative reinforcement is inherently bad.

Barbara ParksFebruary 15, 2021behavior science, positive reinforcement

Let’s Talk Behavior Science

Hello friends!

Hope you all are doing well this week! Today I want to talk a little bit about something that isn’t directly PT-related, but will lay the groundwork for some other ideas I’d like to share and discuss with you all.

So let’s talk behavior science!

Have you heard of clicker training? If you’re familiar with dog training or marine mammal training, you’ve probably seen “clicker training” in action. Clicker training is also called positive reinforcement training, and our typical pressure and release training is called negative reinforcement. That terminology can kind of upset people, because it sounds like maybe I’m saying clicker training is good and traditional training is bad. But in this case we’re using the words positive and negative in the mathematical sense, meaning to add something or to take something away.

Barbara ParksFebruary 6, 2021positive reinforcement, behavior scienceComment