Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning is how consequences shape behavior. Do something, get a consequence, and that consequence changes how likely you are to do it again. There are four levers. Positive reinforcement adds something good (a treat) to increase a behavior. Negative reinforcement removes something bad (the annoying seatbelt beep stops) to increase a behavior. Positive punishment adds something bad (a fine) to decrease a behavior. Negative punishment removes something good (losing screen time) to decrease a behavior. 'Positive/negative' just means add/remove; 'reinforcement/punishment' means increase/decrease. The sneaky part is timing and schedule. Rewards that come unpredictably (like a slot machine) create the most persistent behavior, which is exactly why phone notifications are so hard to ignore.