Editing Reinforcement (section)

==History==
Laboratory research on reinforcement is usually dated from the work of [[Edward Thorndike]], known for his experiments with cats escaping from puzzle boxes.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Thorndike E | title = Some Experiments on Animal Intelligence | journal = Science | volume = 7 | issue = 181 | pages = 818–24 | date = June 1898 | pmid = 17769765 | doi = 10.1126/science.7.181.818 | url = https://zenodo.org/record/1448297 | bibcode = 1898Sci.....7..818T }}</ref> A number of others continued this research, notably B.F. Skinner, who published his seminal work on the topic in ''[[The Behavior of Organisms]]'', in 1938, and elaborated this research in many subsequent publications.<ref>Skinner, B. F. "[https://books.google.com/books?id=S9WNCwAAQBAJ&q=Reinforcement The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis]", 1938 New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts</ref> Notably Skinner argued that positive reinforcement is superior to punishment in shaping behavior.<ref name=Walden>{{cite book| vauthors = Skinner BF |title=Walden Two| url = https://archive.org/details/waldentwo1948skin | url-access = registration |year=1948|publisher=The Macmillan Company|location=Toronto}}</ref> Though punishment may seem just the opposite of reinforcement, Skinner claimed that they differ immensely, saying that positive reinforcement results in lasting [[Behavior modification|behavioral modification]] (long-term) whereas punishment changes behavior only temporarily (short-term) and has many detrimental side-effects.

A great many researchers subsequently expanded our understanding of reinforcement and challenged some of Skinner's conclusions. For example, Azrin and Holz defined punishment as a “consequence of behavior that reduces the future probability of that behavior,”<ref name=Honig>{{cite book|last=Honig|first=Werner | name-list-style = vanc |title=Operant Behavior: Areas of Research and Application|year=1966|publisher=Meredith Publishing Company|location=New York|page=381|url=http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1966-35017-000}}</ref>  and some studies have shown that positive reinforcement and punishment are equally effective in modifying behavior.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} Research on the effects of positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment continue today as those concepts are fundamental to learning theory and apply to many practical applications of that theory.