Have you ever wondered exactly why people do what they do? According to a school of thought known as behaviorism, it all comes down to the patterns of learning we've acquired through associations, ...

As a doctoral student and professor of psychology, John Watson studied the behavior of animals. He especially was interested in stimulus-response reactions to various situations, such as rats going ...

Operant conditioning is a procedure for controlling behavior, explored and exploited most notably by B. F. Skinner, followed by many subsequent researchers. It involves shaping the behavior of an ...

My recent article, "Behavior Modification Is Everywhere: Why Education Can’t Afford to Pretend Otherwise," sparked thoughtful, even passionate, comments from readers. These responses highlighted ...

The phrase that instantly disarms passive-aggressive behavior isn't clever or confrontational—it's a simple observation that removes their protective fog of deniability, and most people stumble upon ...

Operant conditioning, sometimes called instrumental conditioning or Skinnerian conditioning, is a method of learning that uses rewards and punishment to modify behavior. Through operant conditioning, ...

Dark psychology books reveal how manipulation, persuasion, and emotional triggers shape everyday interactions.These books ...

In Jarek Janio’s Inside Higher Ed opinion column, “Beyond ‘Grit’ and ‘Growth Mindsets,’” Janio argues that, to promote better student learning, college instructors should ignore questions about ...