The extinction response
The brain wasn't designed to continue to do things without reward. We are intrinsically motivated by external reward, and without it, quickly give up. The Pavlov's dog experiment shows us this. As long as the dogs receive food, when the bell rings, they salivate. When the bell keeps ringing and the food stops coming, the learn to stop trusting the bell. It's called the extinction response. Caring for a child who doesn't respond to their name being called, doesn't smile at the