mwengler comments on The Power of Reinforcement - Less Wrong

96 Post author: lukeprog 21 June 2012 01:42PM

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Comment author: mwengler 03 July 2012 09:45:12PM 0 points [-]

I would expect the rate at which people run counter to "usual" reinforcers to be far less than the rate at which people claim to run counter to "usual" reinforcers. Humans are not naturally very good at reflection of certain sorts.

Having said that I imagine reinforcing techniques would work brilliantly on me whether I knew I was being trained or not. I'd rather know I was being trained (and therefore know what I was being trained to do) and I would therefore wish to reinforce the trainer's openness about the process by having it work better when s/he is open. But even when I didn't realize it, I have every reason to believe that I am not some sort of exception to human neurobiology.

Comment author: AdeleneDawner 12 July 2012 03:20:30AM 1 point [-]

I would expect the rate at which people run counter to "usual" reinforcers to be far less than the rate at which people claim to run counter to "usual" reinforcers.

Yes, which is why I said 'someone for whom this doesn't seem to work', not 'someone who claims that this doesn't work on them' - though of course in the latter case it's at least polite to humor them.

I also didn't say that reinforcing techniques don't work on me - I've never run into anyone for whom that was even remotely plausible, in fact. Just, you have to use things that don't squick me out as positive reinforcers, and overt praise and rewards aren't in that category.