Reinforcement Schedules
How often should you administer reinforcement? Depends on what your goal is!
– Continuous reinforcement: reinforce the behavior every time it occurs
– Partial reinforcement: reinforce the behavior some times when it occurs
Continuous Reinforcement
•This teaches the behavior extremely quickly
•But once you stop reinforcing, it can extinguish
quickly as well
•WHY/HOW?!?!
If a teacher gave you a quiz on every single
reading assignment assigned, this would be
Continuous Reinforcement. You would do your
reading more, but if the teacher stopped giving
quizzes you would probably stop reading as well.
Partial Reinforcement
•This teaches the behavior more slowly
•But it’s also more resistant to extinction when
you stop reinforcing
•Four types: Fixed Ratio, Variable Ratio, Fixed
Interval, Variable Interval
If a teacher gave you a quiz after a random
number of reading assignments, this would be
Partial Reinforcement. You may not read as much
since there’s a chance there won’t be a quiz, but
if the teacher stopped giving quizzes it would
take you longer to figure out.
Partial Reinforcement Schedules
Four partial reinforcement schedules:
1. Fixed Ratio 2. Variable Ratio 3. Fixed Interval 4. Variable Interval
• Fixed Ratio: a schedule that reinforces a behavior only after a
particular number of occurrences
– The “specified number” doesn’t matter as long as it stays constant
A football team gets a
first down for every 10
yards they gain.
This monkey gets a
banana for every 5 pages
he types.
Your character on
World of Warcraft
gains a level up for
every 7 minotaurs he
slays.
You’re kicked out of the
game whenever you
receive 5 fouls.
Partial Reinforcement Schedules
Four partial reinforcement schedules: fixed ratio, variable ratio,
fixed interval, and variable interval
• Variable Ratio: a schedule that reinforces a behavior only after an
irregular number of occurrences
– Unpredictable means the number of responses is continuously changing
… 3, then 5, then 4, then 2, etc.
– Although unpredictable, usually averages out
Door-to-door salesmen gets the
sale after an unpredictable
number of tries.
Slot machines pay out
after a random number of
tries.
Who knows how many
tries it will take before
you win the lottery?
Partial Reinforcement Schedules
Four partial reinforcement schedules: fixed ratio, variable ratio,
fixed interval, and variable interval
• Fixed Interval: a schedule that reinforces a behavior only after a
particular time has passed
– The “specified time” doesn’t matter as long as it stays constant
Athletes get to
participate in the
summer Olympics
every 4 years.
You receive a
paycheck from work
every 2 weeks.
Teachers at Pequea Valley
receive an award for every
10 years of service to the
school district.
You can leave after
class every 52
minutes and the
school day lasts 7
hours.
Partial Reinforcement Schedules
Four partial reinforcement schedules: fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval
• Variable Interval: a schedule that reinforces a behavior at
irregular time intervals
– “Unpredictable” means the time is always changing…30 minutes, then 4
hours, then 50 seconds, etc.
– Although unpredictable, usually averages out
A teacher gives a pop quiz on
random days of the week.
A surfer waiting for the
perfect wave to roll in.
Police conduct drug searches
unpredictably throughout the
school year.
What schedule of reinforcement is this?
• Continuous Reinforcement?
– Reinforce behavior every time it
occurs
• Fixed Ratio?
– Reinforce a behavior after a
specified number of responses
• Variable Ratio?
– Reinforce a behavior after an
unpredictable number of responses
• Fixed Interval?
– Reinforce a behavior after a
specified amount of time
• Variable Interval?
– Reinforce a behavior after an
unpredictable amount of time
You start dancing every time
“Blurred Lines” comes on
the radio
What schedule of reinforcement is this?
• Continuous Reinforcement?
– Reinforce behavior every time it
occurs
• Fixed Ratio?
– Reinforce a behavior after a
specified number of responses
• Variable Ratio?
– Reinforce a behavior after an
unpredictable number of responses
• Fixed Interval?
– Reinforce a behavior after a
specified amount of time
• Variable Interval?
– Reinforce a behavior after an
unpredictable amount of time
You watch a new episode of
Modern Family when it
comes on Wednesdays
What schedule of reinforcement is this?
• Continuous Reinforcement?
– Reinforce behavior every time it
occurs
• Fixed Ratio?
– Reinforce a behavior after a specified
number of responses
• Variable Ratio?
– Reinforce a behavior after an
unpredictable number of responses
• Fixed Interval?
– Reinforce a behavior after a specified
amount of time
• Variable Interval?
– Reinforce a behavior after an
unpredictable amount of time
Sometimes the crowd
cheers when you dunk,
depending on whether it’s a
home / away game
What schedule of reinforcement is this?
• Continuous Reinforcement?
– Reinforce behavior every time it
occurs
• Fixed Ratio?
– Reinforce a behavior after a specified
number of responses
• Variable Ratio?
– Reinforce a behavior after an
unpredictable number of responses
• Fixed Interval?
– Reinforce a behavior after a specified It can take anywhere from 3amount of time
• Variable Interval?
– Reinforce a behavior after an
unpredictable amount of time
6 days for the mailman to
deliver your letter
What schedule of reinforcement is this?
• Continuous Reinforcement?
– Reinforce behavior every time it
occurs
• Fixed Ratio?
– Reinforce a behavior after a specified
number of responses
• Variable Ratio?
– Reinforce a behavior after an
unpredictable number of responses
• Fixed Interval?
– Reinforce a behavior after a specified
amount of time
• Variable Interval?
– Reinforce a behavior after an
unpredictable amount of time
Dino is paid a bonus for
every 50 pages he writes on
his autobiography