Schedules of Reinforcement and Operant Conditioning

Vocabulary flashcards covering schedules of reinforcement, patterns of responding, extinction, and shaping in operant conditioning.

Schedules of Reinforcement

Rules specifying how often an organism receives reinforcement, which were discovered by accident.

Continuous Reinforcement Schedule

A schedule in which reinforcement is provided every single time the behavior occurs; it extinguishes the fastest when reinforcement is removed.

Ratio Schedules

Reinforcement schedules that reinforce based on the number of responses the organism made.

Interval Schedules

Reinforcement schedules that reinforce based on the amount of time that has elapsed since the last reinforcement.

Fixed Schedule

A schedule where reinforcement occurs based on a set schedule that never changes.

Fixed Ratio (FR) Schedule

A schedule where reinforcement is provided after a set number of responses, producing the most responding in the shortest time.

Variable Ratio (VR) Schedule

A schedule where reinforcement is provided after an unpredictable number of responses that vary around some number; responding is close behind FR, and it is particularly hard to extinguish.

Fixed Interval (FI) Schedule

A schedule where reinforcement is provided after a fixed amount of time, producing a scalloped effect with responding falling off after each reinforcer.

Variable Interval (VI) Schedule

A schedule where reinforcement is provided for the first response that occurs after an unpredictable amount of time that varies around some average time, producing a very steady rate of responding that is not high.

Extinction in Operant Conditioning

A reduction in the rate of responding until the behavior no longer occurs due to the removal of the reinforcement.

Shaping

Reinforcing closer approximations to some desired goal, which is how complicated behaviors come about.