while attempting to teach flight instructors that praise is more effective than punishment for promoting skill-learning
The claim is that it does make a difference; being nice is better. It's easy to misread reversion to the mean as the result of praise / punishment.
Here's what I paid attention to:
"because there is regression to the mean"
and
"I immediately arranged a demonstration in which each participant tossed two coins at a target behind his back, without any feedback."
I think the important part of that last sentence is "without any feedback" -- this is why I assert "It doesn't affect the outcome".
while attempting to teach flight instructors that praise is more effective than punishment for promoting skill-learning
The claim is that it does make a difference; being nice is better. It's easy to misread reversion to the mean as the result of praise / punishment.