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Organizational psychologists have known for decades that rewards and punishments are not two sides of the same coin.  For example, they know that: ~~People at work (and wherever else they might be) respond very differently to rewards than they do to punishment - or more accurately to the threat of punishment. ~~Performance management systems that rely primarily on punitive measures only work where there is an extremely high level of control  (for example, in a Skinner Box, during military basic training, in extremely brutal interrogations, etc.).  Even when control levels are high, it is extremely...

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You're running a little late for the Bengals-Steelers game.  You get to the stadium at the peak arrival time of other fans.  Thousands of people are queuing up to nine lines of ticket-takers.  Quick!  Which one do you choose?  Line No. 3 looks good. Luckily, your line choice enables you to get to your seat just in time for the kick-off.  Of the second half. After the game, you stop at a supermarket - which is packed.  You purchase just enough items to be ineligible to use the self-check-out.  You scan your check-out line options.  Here, your intuitive number sense needs to triangulate...

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When was the last time you found yourself enthralled in a good story? We lose ourselves in stories, traipsing alongside the characters whether it’s in novels or movies. We temporarily escape our own stories to experience the highs and lows of someone else’s, learning from them (consciously or not) every step of the way. I recently had the opportunity to collaboratively write an e-course with someone and leverage the power of story. We created characters relevant to the content and pushed them through the elements every good story has – introduction/exposition, conflict, climax, and resolution....

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The Brain and Behavior Blogger focuses on the (human) brain and (human) behavior.  So, why is the B&B Blogger taking a look at the behavior of dogs in this entry? Well.  While the focus today is on our canine best-friends, there's clearly a human behavioral issue involved as well.  That human behavior is attributing to dogs emotions that they do not have. The percentage varies from study to study.  But, somewhere in the neighborhood of 75% of owners are convinced that their dogs experience guilt and/or remorse.   That attribution is based on the supposed guilt-like behavior that...

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Okay.  This one doesn't have to sit out the normal five-year waiting period.  It goes directly to the Neuroscience Weird Finding Hall of Fame.  And, it was announced only a few hours ago. Feature this.  You have a very senior citizen who unfortunately is suffering from severe arthritis.  His hands are, in the words of the researchers, "constricted and contorted."  Ouch. The subject puts his right hand into what is essentially a drawer with a computer type screen on top.  Once things get started, the subject sees the hand of a researcher on the screen.  His task is to move his hand...

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