Psychology: Schedule of reinforcement (Learning)

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Simple schedules

Simple schedules have a single rule to determine when a single type of reinforcer is delivered for specific response.

• Fixed ratio (FR) schedules deliver reinforcement after every nth response
• Example: FR2 = every second response is reinforced
• Lab example: FR5 = rat reinforced with food after each 5 bar-presses in a Skinner box.
• Real-world example: FR10 = Used car dealer gets a $1000 bonus for each 10 cars sold on the lot.
• Fixed interval (FI) schedules deliver reinforcement for the first response after a fixed length of time since the last reinforcement, while premature responses are not reinforced.
• Example: FI1" = reinforcement provided for the first response after 1 second
• Lab example: FI15" = rat is reinforced for the first bar press after 15 seconds passes since the last reinforcement
• Real world example: FI24 hour = calling a radio station is reinforced with a chance to win a prize, but the person can only sign up once per day
• Variable ratio (VR) schedules deliver reinforcement after a random number of responses (based upon a predetermined average)
• Example: VR3 = on average, every third response is reinforced
• Lab example: VR10 = on average, a rat is reinforced for each 10 bar presses
• Real world example: VR37/VR38 = a roulette player betting on specific numbers will win on average once every 37 or 38 tries, depending on whether the wheel has a 00 slot.
• Variable interval (VI) schedules deliver reinforcement for the first response after a random average length of time passes since the last reinforcement
• Example: VI3" = reinforcement is provided for the first response after an average of 3 seconds since the last reinforcement.
• Lab example: VI10" = a rat is reinforced for the first bar press after an average of 10 seconds passes since the last reinforcement
• Real world example: a predator can expect to come across a prey on a variable interval schedule.

A chart demonstrating the different response rate of the four simple schedules of reinforcement, each hatch mark designates a reinforcer being given