Reinforcement in Learning and Extinction

Peek into the mind’s machinery with Reinforcement in Learning and Extinction, a fascinating archival film that unveils Dr. Burrhus Frederick Skinner’s groundbreaking psychology of learning, drawing a deft analogy between a pigeon’s peck and human habits. This mid-century gem flutters into a lab where pigeons strut—beaks tap levers, rewards drop, and odd behaviors bloom: one twirls, another bows, each quirk honed by selective reinforcement. The camera zooms as Skinner’s principle unfolds—rewarded acts stick, ignored ones fade—then pulls the prize: twirls stop, bows cease, extinction creeps in sans treat. With crisp narration and lively footage, the film bridges bird to child—tap a lever, teach a lesson—deriving timeless truths: reinforce to build, withhold to erase. A mid-20th-century lens on behavior’s dance, it’s Skinner’s science made vivid. Archival Moments revives this learning loop—subscribe to train more from the labs of history!