Episode

Can we shape behaviour using negative reinforcement?

Podcast
Lead a Horse to Water
Published
Jul 15, 2025
Duration seconds
1670
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/trudi-dempsey/episodes/Can-we-shape-behaviour-using-negative-reinforcement-e35j3ar
Audio
https://anchor.fm/s/31cdcf90/podcast/play/105532187/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-6-15%2F403953380-44100-2-9c6f6d51e83ed.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/lead-a-horse-to-water-3058987/episodes/can-we-shape-behaviour-using-negative-reinforcement
Markdown
/podcast/lead-a-horse-to-water-3058987/can-we-shape-behaviour-using-negative-reinforcement.md

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Summary

We often think of behaviour produced with positive reinforcement as the only behaviour that can be shaped but of course behaviour produced using negative reinforcement can be shaped too. In this episode, I explore what constructional training is, how CAT protocols use R- to build functional skills, and where R- stops serving the learner and starts serving the trainer. Spoiler: for me it’s all about whose needs the behaviour is meeting.