How Reinforcement Schedules Work

How Reinforcement Schedules Work Theories Behavioral Psychology Print How Reinforcement Schedules Work Reinforcement Schedules Are Used to Strengthen Specific Behaviors By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on June 12, 2017 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on February 03, 2020 Verywell / JR Bee More in Theories Behavioral Psychology Cognitive Psychology Developmental Psychology Personality Psychology Social Psychology Biological Psychology Psychosocial Psychology Operant conditioning is a learning process in which new behaviors are acquired and modified through their association with consequences. Reinforcing a behavior increases the likelihood it will occur again in the future while punishing a behavior decreases the likelihood that it will be repeated. In  operant conditioning, schedules of reinforcement are an important component of the learning process. When and how often we reinforce a behavior can have a dramatic impact on the strength and rate of the response. The 3 Major Theories of Learning Schedule of Reinforcement A schedule of reinforcement is basically a rule stating which instances of behavior will be reinforced. In some cases, a behavior might be reinforced every time it occurs. Sometimes, a behavior might not be reinforced at all. Either  positive reinforcement  or  negative reinforcement  may be used as a part of operant conditioning. In both cases, the goal of reinforcement is to  strengthen  a behavior so that it will likely occur again. Reinforcement schedules take place in both naturally occurring learning situations as well as more structured training situations. In real-world settings, behaviors are probably not going to be reinforced each and every time they occur. In situations where you are intentionally trying to reinforce a specific action (such as in school, sports, or in animal training), you would follow a specific reinforcement schedule. Some schedules are better suited to certain types of training situations. In some cases, training might call for one schedule and then switch to another once the desired behavior has been taught. The two foundational forms of reinforcement schedules are referred to as continuous reinforcement and partial reinforcement. Continuous Reinforcement In continuous reinforcement, the desired behavior is reinforced  every single time  it occurs. ???This schedule is best used during the initial stages of learning to create a strong association between the behavior and response. Imagine, for example, that you are trying to teach a dog to shake your hand. During the initial stages of learning, you would stick to a continuous reinforcement schedule to teach and establish the behavior. This might involve grabbing the dogs paw, shaking it, saying shake, and then offering a reward each and every time you perform these steps. Eventually, the dog will start to perform the action on its own. Continuous reinforcement schedules are most effective when trying to teach a new behavior. It denotes a pattern to which every narrowly-defined response is followed by a narrowly-defined consequence. Partial Reinforcement Once the response if firmly established, a continuous reinforcement schedule is usually switched to a partial reinforcement schedule.?? In partial (or intermittent) reinforcement, the response is reinforced only  part of the time. Learned behaviors are acquired more slowly with partial reinforcement, but the response is more resistant to  extinction. Think of the earlier example in which you were training a dog to shake and. While you initially used continuous reinforcement, reinforcing the behavior every time is simply unrealistic. In time, you would switch to a partial schedule to provide additional reinforcement once the behavior has been established or after considerable time has passed. There are four schedules of partial reinforcement: Fixed-Ratio Schedules Fixed-ratio schedules  are those in which a response is reinforced only after a specified number of responses. This schedule produces a high, steady rate of responding with only a brief pause after the delivery of the reinforcer. An example of a fixed-ratio schedule would be delivering a food pellet to a rat after it presses a bar five times. Variable-Ratio Schedules Variable-ratio schedules  occur when a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses. This schedule creates a high steady rate of responding. Gambling and lottery games are good examples of a reward based on a variable ratio schedule. In a lab setting, this might involve delivering food pellets to a rat after one bar press, again after four bar presses, and then again after two bar presses. Fixed-Interval Schedules Fixed-interval schedules  are those where the first response is rewarded only after a specified amount of time has elapsed. This schedule causes high amounts of responding near the end of the interval but much slower responding immediately after the delivery of the reinforcer. An example of this in a lab setting would be reinforcing a rat with a lab pellet for the first bar press after a 30-second interval has elapsed. Variable-Interval Schedules Variable-interval schedules  occur when a response is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed. This schedule produces a slow, steady rate of response. An example of this would be delivering a food pellet to a ?rat after the first bar press following a one-minute interval; a second pellet for the first response following a five-minute interval; and a third pellet for the first response following a three-minute interval. Using the Appropriate Schedule Deciding when to reinforce a behavior can depend on a number of factors. In cases where you are specifically trying to teach a new behavior, a continuous schedule is often a good choice. Once the behavior has been learned, switching to a partial schedule is often preferable. In daily life, partial schedules of reinforcement occur much more frequently than do continuous ones. For example, imagine if you received a reward every time you showed up to work on time. Over time, instead of the reward being a positive reinforcement, the denial of the reward could be regarded as negative reinforcement. Instead, rewards like these are usually doled out on a much less predictable partial reinforcement schedule. Not only are these much more realistic, but they also tend to produce higher response rates while being less susceptible to extinction.?? Partial schedules reduce the risk of satiation once a behavior has been established. If a reward is given without end, the subject may stop performing the behavior if the reward is no longer wanted or needed. For example, imagine that you are trying to teach a dog to sit. If you use food as a reward every time, the dog might stop performing once it is full. In such instances, something like praise or attention may be more effective in reinforcing an already-established behavior. What Is a Secondary Reinforcer? A Word From Verywell Operant conditioning can be a powerful learning tool. The schedule of reinforcement utilized during training and maintenance process can have a major influence on how quickly a behavior is acquired, the strength of the response, and how frequently the behavior is displayed. In order to determine which schedule is preferable, you need to consider different aspects of the situation, including the type of behavior that is being taught and the type of response that is desired. How Social Reinforcement Influences Behavior