On the impulse in impulse learning

•Receiving an inferior payoff creates a negative impulse for a pure strategy.•Receiving a superior payoff does not lead to a systematic impulse.•A positive impulse for the maximin strategy counterbalances a negative impulse.

This paper experimentally investigates the nature of impulses in impulse learning. Particularly, we analyze whether positive feedback (i.e., yielding a superior payoff in a game) or negative feedback (i.e., yielding an inferior payoff in a game) leads to a systematic change in the individual choices. The results reveal that subjects predominantly learn from negative feedback.