Negative reinforcement is nearly instant.

Click to enlarge: BF Skinner and an operant conditioning chamber (it feeds or shocks a rat based on the rat's behavior).

I learned just recently in a series of lectures on major ideas in psychology that it takes 2-3 positive reinforcements for a test subject (like a mouse) to learn how to repeat the behavior that leads to reward.

It takes only one bad experience to teach a test subject not to repeat the same error.[1]

This is a very significant thing. Positive reinforcement takes time; negative reinforcement is nearly instant. It's a carryover from our evolutionary past in which one mistake could mean death. (It's carved into our collective conscience with sayings like "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me").

This should say a lot to parents, teachers, bosses, ministers, and anyone else in a position to hurt a human being they are accountable for.

[2013-06-06]

c0

Brandi, You're a Fine Girl

I've loved this song since I was a child. Hard to explain. I grew up around boats and sails, ropes and bells, and other dockside images that resonate with me still. Anyone that grew up around water will identify with that.

Looking Glass - Brandi, You're a Fine Girl

 

[2013-06-07]

c0

[1]
In this case, the reward was food when a lever was pressed. The negative reinforcement was a shock to the feet when approaching food in a certain area of the cage.

c0