ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Reward-based selection

Have you ever played a game where you get a prize after you complete certain tasks or achieve certain goals? Well, reward-based selection works in a similar way. It is a way of choosing things based on the rewards or benefits you get from them.

Imagine you have two choices: eating broccoli or eating ice cream. Now, you might not like broccoli that much, but you know it is healthy and will make your body feel good. On the other hand, you love ice cream because it tastes great, but it is not good for your body if you eat too much of it.

So, reward-based selection would mean that you choose broccoli because it will give you a reward of feeling healthy, even though you might not like it as much as ice cream.

In the same way, when we make choices in our daily lives, we often take into consideration what rewards or benefits we will get from them. For example, you might choose to study for an exam instead of playing video games because you know that studying will help you get good grades, which will make your parents happy and proud of you.

Overall, reward-based selection is about making choices that will give us the best rewards or benefits, even if they require more effort or sacrifice. It's like choosing broccoli over ice cream, even if it's not as tasty, because it will make us feel better and healthier in the long run.