Reinforcement SchedulesHow 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 Partial 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 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.

•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 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 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

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.

A football team gets a first down for every 10 yards they gain.

You’re kicked out of the game whenever you receive 5 fouls.

Partial Reinforcement SchedulesFour 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.

Who knows how many tries it will take

before you win the lottery?

Slot machines pay out after a random

number of tries.

Partial Reinforcement SchedulesFour 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

Teachers at Pequea Valley receive an award for every 10 years of service to the school district.

You receive a paycheck from work every 2 weeks.

You can leave after class every 52 minutes and the school day lasts 7 hours.

Athletes get to participate in the summer Olympics every 4 years.

Partial Reinforcement SchedulesFour 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 surfer waiting for the perfect wave to roll in.

A teacher gives a pop quiz on random days of the

week.

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 amount of time

• Variable Interval?– Reinforce a behavior after an

unpredictable amount of time

It can take anywhere from 3-6 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