No ghosts in the machine

I discuss the parallels and possible synergies between reinforcement learning in machine learning and artificial intelligence, and operant conditioning in behavior analysis. Some attention is also given to related concepts in behavioral neuroscience. Reinforcement learning plays a very prominent role in recent advances within artificial general intelligence. The question of whether machine learning sheds new light on old debates between behavior analysis and other parts of psychology is addressed. Simultaneously the related topic of what value empirical findings within machine learning can have to behavior analysis is discussed.