ABSTRACT
I hold Kurt Lewin personally responsible for spreading the rumor that “there is nothing as practical as a good theory.” In my experience, there is nothing as practical as a simple, atheoretical rule! The principle that reward increases the probability of the prior response whereas punishment decreases that likelihood has been used in millions of homes and schools to change behavior by individuals who never heard the name “Skinner” or know the meaning of “theory.” This rule does not invariably hold, as indicated in chapter 3 when discussing reward as a cue for low ability and punishment as a cue for lack of effort. However, it is sufficiently accurate to be used in thousands of pharmaceutical trials to assess the incentive value of various substances.
