Ch 13 Schedules of Reinforcement Flashcards
type of intermittent reinforcement schedule where reinforcement is delivered after an average/unpredictable number of responses
variable ratio (VR)
type of intermittent reinforcement schedule where reinforcement is delivered for the first response after a varying amount of time passed
variable interval (VI)
type of compound schedule of reinforcement in which two or more basic schedules (e.g. FR, VI) occur in sequence, and reinforcement is delivered only after all components have been completed- without any clear signals indicating when one component ends and next begins
-involves 2 or more schedules in a fixed sequence with no cues signaling the transition
-reinforcement is given only at end of entire sequence
-used to teach complex behavior chains to increase persistence and independent responding
e.g. Tandem FR-3 FI-2min;
learner must emit 3 responses (FR3) then wait 2 min (FI2min). Only then is reinforcement delivered. No cues indicate that the schedule changed from FR to FI.
tandem schedule (tand)
process of gradually increasing response requirement or time between reinforcers after a behavior has been acquired, in order to make the reinforcemement more naturalistic, efficient, and sustainable over time
-involves reducing rate or frequency of reinforcement
-helps prevent reinforcer dependence
-promotes maintenance and generalization of skills
e.g. FR1->FR3->FR5
FI 1min-> FI 5min
increasing token requirement from 5 to 10
schedule thinning
refers to how and when reinforcement is delivered for a behavior. defines conditions under which a response will be reinforced, and plays a key role in acquisition, maintenance, and strength of behavior
-must be selected and adjusted based on individual needs and goals
schedule of reinforcement
2 main categories;
1. continuous reinforcement (CRF)- every instance of target behavior is reinforced; best for teaching new behaviors
- intermittent reinforcement (INT)- some but not all target responses are reinforced; builds resistance to extinction and helps with maintenance
when reinforcement is thinned too quickly- especially in ratio schedules (FR or VR)- causing a breakdown in responding. can lead to avoidance, aggression, or sudden drop in target behavior
-happens when response requirement becomes tooo high
ratio strain
reinforcement schedule in which response requirement increases systematically until the individual stops responding. Commonly used to assess strength or value of a reinforcer.
-number of required responses increases after each reinforcer
-point at which learner stops responding is the breaking point
-used for reinforcer assessment
e.g. trial 1-1 response
trial 2- 3 responses
trial 3- 5 responses
progressive-ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement
schedule in which response requirement systematically increases- either after each reinforcement or after a set number of sessions- to evaluate or build persistence, endurance, or reinforcer strength.
-demand increases gradually
-used to test or build motivation, endurance, or behavioral persistence
-often used in reinforcer assessments or strengthening existing behaviors
-can be arithmetic (e.g. +2 each time) or geometrice (e.g. x2 each time)
progressive schedule of reinforcement
temporary pause in responding that occurs immediately after reinforcement is delivered, before the individual begins responding again. aka the learner takes a brief rest after reinforcement
-more likely in FR and FI
-the pause happens right after reinforcement
-the longer the requirement, the longer the pause tends to be
e.g.on an FI 5-min schedule, learner responds, gets reinforced, then waits several minutes before responding again
-this occurs because the learner predicts the reinforcement won’t be available right away
postreinforcement pause
type of compound schedule in which two or more reinforcement schedules are presented alternately, each associated with a distinct SD. The behavior may be the same across conditions, but the schedule of reinforcement changes, depending on the SD that is present.
-two or more schedules alternate (e.g. FR, VI, EXT)
-each schedule has its own SD (cue or signal)
-only one schedule is in effect at a time
-used to study or teach stimulus control of behavior
e.g. student is reinforced on FR3 schedule when a blue card is on the desk , and on a VI 2-min schedule when a yellow card is present
multiple schedule (mult)
compound schedule in which two or more basic schedules are alternated, without any discriminative stimuli (SDs) signaling which schedule is currently in effect. The individual must respond without knowing which schedule is active at any given time
mixed schedule of reinforcement (mix)
describes how organisms allocate their responses across two or more concurrent reinforcement schedules based on the rate of reinforcement available for each option. Individuals tend to match the proportion of their behavior to the proportion of reinforcement they receive for those behaviors.
-the relative rate of responding will match the relative rate of reinforcement
-explains choice behavior when multiple options are available
-can be used to shift behavior to more appropriate options by adjusting reinforcement rate
e.g. if a student earns 70% of reinforcement from handraising and 30% from calling out, it’s predicted they will allocate about 70% of their responses to handraising and 30% to calling out
aka behavior goes where reinforcement flows
matching law
feature that can be added to interval schedules of reinforcement, where the reinforcer is available for only a limited period of time after the interval has elapsed. If the individual does not respond within that window, the opportunity for reinforcement is lost, and the timer resets.
-applies to interval schedules (FI, VI)
-a deadline is set for making a response after the interval ends
-reinforcement only delivered if the response occurs within the window
-encourages quick responding once reinforcement becomes available
e.g. a student can earn a token if they begin work within 30s of teacher’s instruction
limited hold (LH)
type of differential reinforcement schedule where reinforcement is delivered only if the individual’s response is different from a set number of previous responses. used to increase variability and promote creativity or flexibility in behavior.
-reinforcement depends on the novelty or variability of a response
-response must differ from the last “n” responses
-encourages diverse responding
-can be applied to verbal, motor, academic, or play behaviors
lag schedule
e.g. Lag1 = different from the immediately previous response
schedule in which only some occurrences of a behavior are reinforced
intermittent schedule of reinforcement (INT)
type of intermittent reinforcement in which reinforcement is delivered after a set number of correct responses
response pattern- pause after r+ followed by rapid burst of responses
fixed ratio (FR)
type of intermittent reinforcement where the first correct response is reinforced after a fixed amount of time has passed since the last reinforcement. responses before the interval ends do not produce reinforcement.
-reinforcement is based on time, not number of responses
-the interval length doesn’t change
-only the first response after the interval is reinforced
-produces a scalloped response pattern (slow responding, then increases as interval ends)
e.g. ___2min= first correct response after 2 min is reinforced. if learner responds before 2 min are up, those responses are not reinforced.
e.g. teacher checls on student work every 10 min and provides praise if the student is working
fixed interval (FI)
reinforce behavior only when it occurs at or below a specified rate. goal is to reduce behavior (but not eliminate) to an appropriate level.
-reinforcement is withheld if behavior occurs too frequently
e.g.student is praised only if they ask fewer than 3 questions during class.
DRL (differential reinforcement of low rates)
reinforcement is delivered only when a behavior occurs at or above a specified high rate, encouraging the learner to increase the frequency of a desirable behavior.
-used to increase rate of already appropriate behaviors
-strengthens fluency, engagement, productivity
e.g. student earns reward only if they complete at least 10 math problems in 20 min
DRH (differential reinforcement of high rates)
reinforcement is delivered if the behavior occurs fewer times than a gradually criterion over successive sessions or time periods. Used to systematically reduce the rate of a behavoir that is acceptable in small amounts but problematic when too frequent.
-similar to DRL, but criterion decreases over time
-reinforces behavior only if it occurs below a set, reducing limit
-goal is to gradually lower behavior frequency
-for behaviors that are appropriate in moderation and when a gradual reduction is better than abrupt extinction
e.g. student asks 10 off-topic questions per class.
day 1 reinforce if student asks 9 or fewer questions
day 2 reinforce if student asks 8 or fewer questions
continue until behavior reaches a more acceptable level
DRD (differential reinforcement of diminishing rates)
schedule of reinforcement in which every occurrence of target behavior is reinforced
continuous reinforcement (CRF)
type of compound reinforcement schedule in which two or more basic schedules (e.g. ratio and interval) are in effect at the same time, and both conditions must be met before reinforcement is delivered.
-often combines ratio + interval
-all components of the schedule must be satisfied for reinforcement
-produces steady, moderate response rates
-encourages both consistent responding and appropriate timing
e.g. ___ FR10 FI 2-min-> individual must emit at least 10 responses and the 2-min interval must have passed for reinforcement to be delivered
conjunctive schedule (conj)
two or more reinforcement schedules available at the same time, each associated with a different response option. learner is free to choose between options, and behavior tends to be allocated based on the relative rates of reinforcement for each.
-two or more schedules operate simultaneously
-each schedule is tied to a specific response
-individual can switch freely between them
-odten used to study choice behavior or reinforcer preference
e.g.
schedule A- VR5 for touching red card
schedule B- VR10 for touching blue card
concurrent schedule (conc)
combines two or more basic reinforcement schedules (e.g. FR, FI VR, VI, EXT) that are presented either together or in sequence. These schedules can apply to one behavior and may or may not involve discriminative stimuli (SDs) to signal which schedule is in effect.
-involves two or more basic schedules
-may include SDs
-may occur sequentially or simultaneously
-all apply to the same target behavior
compound schedule of reinforcement
