EDF5684 Chap.5 Schedules of Reinforcement
Schedules of Reinforcement
Schedules of reinforcement specify which responses contact reinforcement. This chapter moves from continuous to intermittent reinforcement, then decodes fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval and variable interval arrangements by asking whether the requirement is based on response count or time and whether it stays constant or changes.
Typical response patterns are used as corroborating evidence rather than as definitions.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Continuous reinforcement during initial acquisition
- 02
Intermittent reinforcement and schedule thinning
- 03
Fixed and variable ratio requirements
- 04
Fixed and variable interval requirements
- 05
Post-reinforcement pauses, steady rates and scallops
- 06
Compound schedules and signalled components
Worked example · free
Classify a parcel-checking schedule
- +1Identify a response-count requirement because reinforcement follows completed checks.
- +1Identify the requirement as fixed because it remains every fifth eligible response.
- +1Conclude fixed ratio five from the contingency itself.
- +1Use the pause and rapid run as a consistent pattern, not the defining evidence.
- +1Monitor checking accuracy so a higher rate does not conceal missed parcel details.
Key terms
- Continuous Reinforcement
- Reinforcement delivered after every eligible occurrence of a response.
- Fixed Ratio
- Reinforcement delivered after a constant number of eligible responses.
- Variable Ratio
- Reinforcement delivered after a changing response count around an average.
- Fixed Interval
- Reinforcement for the first eligible response after a constant period.
- Variable Interval
- Reinforcement for the first eligible response after changing periods.
Schedules of Reinforcement FAQ
What is the fastest way to identify a schedule?
Ask whether reinforcement depends on response count or on the first response after time. Then ask whether that count or time remains constant or changes. This two-question method identifies the four basic intermittent schedules without relying on familiar examples.
Does time alone define an interval schedule?
No. In an interval schedule, reinforcement becomes available after the interval, and the first eligible response then contacts it. If an event is delivered solely because time passes, regardless of behaviour, it is not an interval reinforcement schedule in this operant sense.
Why should schedule thinning be gradual?
A newly acquired response may weaken if reinforcement becomes too sparse too quickly. Gradual thinning, guided by response quality and independence data, can move performance toward practical and naturally available consequences without abruptly removing the support that established it.
How do I read a cumulative response record safely?
Confirm the axes and any resets before comparing line segments. A steeper cumulative line indicates a higher response rate, and a horizontal section indicates no recorded responses during that period. Pauses, steady slopes and acceleration may resemble typical schedule patterns, but the programmed response or time requirement defines the schedule.
Compare equal windows and consider motivation, effort, reinforcement quality and prior history. Use the graph to support or question a classification, never to replace the contingency statement. Record accuracy separately when faster responding could reduce response quality.
Assessment move
Draw the four schedule quadrants from memory and attach the defining rule before the characteristic pattern. Practise with novel scenarios because everyday activities can operate under several schedules. For interval examples, always include the response after the time requirement. For project planning, write the initial reinforcement schedule and the criteria for changing it, while tracking accuracy, independence and rate.
Review compound schedules only after the basic two dimensions are automatic. For every schedule problem, complete the same decoding sentence: reinforcement follows either the Nth response or the first response after T time, and the requirement is either constant or changing. Classify from that sentence before looking at a graph.
Then sketch the expected cumulative pattern and label the prediction as typical rather than defining. Read several miniature records by comparing slopes, pauses and acceleration while checking axis scales and resets. Practise explaining why a neat curve cannot prove the schedule when motivation, history and competing contingencies also affect responding. Build a thinning table for one teaching example.
Include the current requirement, accuracy, independent response rate, decision criterion, next requirement and reversal rule if performance deteriorates. Change only one schedule feature per step and preserve the quality criterion inside the eligible response.
For variable schedules, construct a short series whose values differ but average to the stated parameter; use it to explain why an average does not predict the next requirement. Finally, compare interval schedules with time-based delivery by stating the response that contacts reinforcement after the interval.
Review compound schedules by mapping component boundaries, correlated stimuli and sequence requirements only after basic classification is rapid and accurate.
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