

Variable-Interval Reinforcement Schedules FTW - petercooper
http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com/2010/01/variable-interval-reinforcement.html

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petercooper
Giles possibly gets posted on HN a _little_ too often, but this post really
got me thinking..

It's not a new insight but he's right. I had the same problem as him with
Adsense in 2008 when I was making some pretty serious money with it (down by
90%+ since start of 2009). I'd be logging on to it a few times each day just
to see the money racking up. Ever since it dropped 90% though, I still make
money but I rarely check because it's not worth it..

So I'm wondering if "variable interval reinforcement schedules" works, but
only if the positive stimulus is _strong_ or gradually increasing over time? I
used to check Google Analytics a lot as the traffic on my main site was
increasing too, but now it's plateaued, I don't check so much.

Could we find other variable-interval reinforcement schedules that help us
with our work in the world of startups? :-)

~~~
Psyonic
Giles definitely gets posted on HN far too often, but ignoring that, checking
your stats on affiliate programs is hardly an improvement. I know a guy who
has to check his stats every hour, and it's just as debilitating as any social
site. Why not try and avoid addictive behavior, rather than seeking to replace
it with one that's just as bad?

