Operant conditioning
Also said as Reinforcement, Reward learning, Shaping
Behaviour followed by a reward becomes more likely, and behaviour followed by nothing or by punishment becomes less likely. B. F. Skinner studied it from the 1930s onward.
It is one of the best-established findings in psychology, and every tutorial uses it. It also explains how players learn the wrong lesson: whatever they happened to be doing as the reward landed gets the credit.
Say it
“Play the reward sound on the same frame as the hit, not when the score updates at the end of the wave. Otherwise players credit the wrong action.”
Where you’ve seen it
Super Mario Bros. teaches that coins are good and that jumping at blocks can pay, all within its first minute and with no text, by rewarding you for trying.
Not to be confused with classical conditioning
Classical conditioning pairs two things that happen to you, such as a bell and food. Operant conditioning pairs something you do with what follows it.