An experiment conducted by neuroscientists from Washington University in St. Louis has recently ended. According to the obtained results, it was found that the number of repetitions of any action is directly proportional to the amount of monetary reward for it.

An interesting fact is that any fine, regardless of its monetary expression, effectively prevents a certain action in the future.

By modifying Thorndike's classic behaviorist "Law of Effect", scientists from the university showed that, unlike animals, the modification of human behavior with the help of negative stimuli plays a major role.

The participants of the experiment were divided into two groups. To the first group, the sounds of clicks and noises were broadcast through headphones. In each trial, they had to determine which of the headphones sounded more clicks - the right or the left. The second group was shown flashes of light on the screen. Their task was to determine where they saw more flashes - on the right or left side of the screen. The number of clicks and flashes on both sides was random and almost equal, which constantly kept the participants in a state of uncertainty about the correctness of their decision. They could not reliably find out for themselves whether their choice was correct or not.

If the answer was correct, the participants were rewarded with a coin worth 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 cents, and in case of a wrong decision, one coin was taken back (the denomination was determined randomly).

So, after choosing the correct answer and receiving a reward of 25 cents for this, each participant in 9 cases out of 10 again chose the same earphone, which turned out to be correct. And in the case where only 5 cents were paid for a correct answer, the repeated decision was made only 5 times out of 10.

An incorrect answer led to a completely different decision, namely when the participants were penalized by selecting a coin of any denomination - this almost always led to a change of choice in the next trial.

According to the scientists, their research will help correct one of the fundamental laws of learning, which was proposed at the end of the 19th century by the behaviorist Edward Thorndike, the "Law of Effect".

The law, in its basic structure, has the following form: "Any behavior that has received reinforcement in the form of pleasure, with a high probability will be reproduced again. If dissatisfaction arises in response to any behavior, then the probability of its repetition gradually decreases. In both cases, the speed of consolidation of the effect depends on the strength of the stimulus."

So, the study of American scientists shows that there is an asymmetry between the directly proportional dependence of the frequency of behavioral acts on the strength of a positive stimulus, and the almost flat effect of negative stimuli, which, regardless of their strength, modify the behavior of participants equally quickly and effectively.

According to scientists, encouragement and punishment are different factors influencing behavior, and not similar, as previously thought. It should be noted that similar studies have already had a strong influence on the development of video games, especially if real money is used in their fictional world.