Basic Pursuits

Years ago I learned about Skinner Behaviorism. This early experimental psychology focused on positive and negative reinforcement. For example, you might ring a bell, a stimulus. If the rat did what you wanted, you'd give the rat a treat. That's positive reinforcement. If he did something that you did not want, you'd give him a mild electrical shock. That's negative reinforcement.

Experimenters figured out that positive reinforcement produced faster learning. That discovery hugely influenced the ending of corporal punishment in schools.

Yesterday was "Death of the Diet Day." Yesterday was the day when more people gave up the diets that they started New Years than on any other day of the year. This according to a survey by Britain's PruHealth.

I learned this from an article by the BBC. The article pointed out that one of the reasons is that people tend to behave as a herd. One person quits. She's seen by another who quits too. And on and on.

Brad Isaac learned something from Jerry Seifeld, "...that would benefit me a lifetime."

A recent article from the New York Times cites studies showing that people who are well fed have a better chance at exercising self control than those whose blood sugar is depleted. Furthermore, restoring blood sugar levels seems to replenish self control.

Anybody who's participated in or witnessed a taste test in a barroom will not be surprised by the conclusion drawn in a recent study. Wine tasters rated those wines highest when they were told that they were the most expensive.