Schedules of reinforcement
Schedules of Reinforcement
 Continuous
reinforcement refers to
reinforcement being
administered to each
instance of a response
 Partial reinforcement
lies between
continuous
reinforcement and
extinction
An Example of Continuous
Reinforcement
 Each instance of a smile is reinforced
Schedules of Reinforcement
 Continuous Reinforcement –
A schedule of reinforcement in
which every correct response is
reinforced.
 Partial Reinforcement – One
of several reinforcement
schedules in which not every
correct response is reinforced.
 Which method do you think is
used more in real life?
Schedules of Reinforcement
 Ratio Version –
having to do with
instances of the
behavior.
 Ex. – Reinforce or
reward the behavior
after a set number or x
many times that an
action or behavior is
demonstrated.
 Interval Version –
having to do with the
passage of time.
 Ex. – Reinforce the
participant after a set
number or x period of
time that the behavior
is displayed.
When attempting to find out the
Interval/Ratio of an example:
Always ask: Does it deal with
time?
If Yes=Interval
If No=Ratio
Fixed-Interval Schedule
 Fixed-interval schedule – A schedule in which a
fixed amount of time must elapse between the
previous and subsequent times that reinforcement
will occur.
 Ex. Johnny gets five M & M’s every 5 minutes he
sits in his seat quietly. (Think Pre-school)
Fixed interval schedule is when the reinforcement is
received after a fixed amount of time has passed. Ex.
You get allowance every other Friday.
Variable interval schedule is when the
reinforcement occurs after varying amounts of time. Ex.
Fishing and catching a fish after varying amounts of
time
Variable-Ratio Schedule
 Variable-ratio Schedule – A schedule in which
reinforcement is provided after a variable number of
correct responses.
 Produce an overall high consistent rate of responding.
 Ex. – On average, the rat press the bar 5 times for
one pellet of food.
Variable ratios schedule is when an unpredictable
number of responses are required before reinforcement
can be obtained. Ex. slot machines.
Fixed ratio schedule a specific number of correct
responses is required before reinforcement can be
obtained. Ex. Buy 10 haircuts get 1 free.
Comparisons of Schedules of Reinforcement
FORM OF
REWARD
INFLUENCE ON
PERFORMANCE
Fixed interval
Reward on fixed
time basis
Leads to average
and irregular
performance
Fast extinction of
behavior
Fixed ratio
Reward tied to
specific number
of responses
Leads quickly to
very high and
stable
performance
Moderately fast
extinction of
behavior
Variable interval
Reward given
after varying
periods of time
Leads to
moderately high
and stable
performance
Slow extinction of
behavior
Variable ratio
Reward given for
some behaviors
Very slow
Leads to very
high performance extinction of
behavior
SCHEDULE
EFFECTS ON
BEHAVIOR
FI, VI, FR, or VR?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
When I bake cookies, I can only put one set in at a time,
so after 10 minutes my first set of cookies is done. After
another ten minutes, my second set of cookies is done. I
get to eat a cookie after each set is done baking.
After every 10 math problems that I complete, I allow
myself a 5 minute break.
I look over my notes every night in math because I never
know when my teacher will give a pop quiz.
When hunting season comes around, sometimes I’ll
spend all day sitting in the woods waiting to get a shot at a
big buck. It’s worth it though when I get a nice 10 pt buck.
Today in Psychology class we were talking about
Schedules of Reinforcement and everyone was eagerly
raising their hands and participating. Miranda raised her
hand a couple of times and was eventually called on.
1.
FI
2.
FR
3.
VI
4.
VI
5.
VR
FI, VI, FR, or VR?
6. Madison spanks her son if she has to ask him three times
to clean up his room.
7. Emily has a spelling test every Friday. She usually does
well and gets a star sticker.
8. Steve’s a big gambling man. He plays the slot machines
all day hoping for a big win.
9. Snakes get hungry at certain times of the day. They
might watch any number of prey go by before they
decide to strike.
10. Mr. Bertani receives a salary paycheck every 2 weeks.
(Miss Suter doesn’t ).
11. Christina works at a tanning salon. For every 2 bottles of
lotion she sells, she gets 1 dollar in commission.
12. Mike is trying to study for his upcoming Psychology
quiz. He reads five pages, then takes a break. He
resumes reading and takes another break after he has
completed 5 more pages.
6. FR
7. FI
8. VR
9.
VI
10. FI
11. FR
12. FR
FI,
VI,
FR,
or
VR?
13. Megan is fundraising to try to raise money so she can go on
the annual band trip. She goes door to door in her
neighborhood trying to sell popcorn tins. She eventually
sells some.
14. Kylie is a business girl who works in the big city. Her boss
is busy, so he only checks her work periodically.
15. Mark is a lawyer who owns his own practice. His customers
makes payments at irregular times.
16. Jessica is a dental assistant and gets a raise every year at the
same time and never in between.
17. Andrew works at a GM factory and is in charge of attaching
3 parts. After he gets his parts attached, he gets some free
time before the next car moves down the line.
18. Brittany is a telemarketer trying to sell life insurance. After
so many calls, someone will eventually buy.
13. VR
14. VI
15. VI
16. FI
17. FR
18. VR