Cats and Behaviorism

Sometimes I wonder if cats know more about Pavlov and Skinner than they let you to believe. Or, why else would a cat, when you are about to feed it, keep pushing its head against your thighs, as if cuddling you, if not to give you positive reinforcement for your actions? “Yes, feeding me makes you feel good, human, so you should do it more often” goes the cat’s brain. It is a very cunning tactic, indeed.

Well, one of our cats does that. The other one simply observes in silence, probably calculating the calories lost while doing what the first cat does, and the rate of impact of the reinforcement that it has on human beings, and deciding against joining its brother.

They are weird creatures, cats.

Since there is a relevant Eddie Izzard clip to every topic, here’s the one that fits this one: Pavlov’s Cats.