Suppose you are a teacher in a classroom full of rather rambunctious first graders. You want them to focus on a lesson, so you decide to offer a reward of extra recess time if they remain attentive for the completion of the lesson. Your plan is likely to produce results today. But can you expect these students to demonstrate the same modified behavior tomorrow without the promise of similar reinforcement?
Behavioral change is focused on consistent and sustained changes to behavior as opposed to a short-term modification. To get there, practitioners use protocols or rules in the form of schedules of reinforcement.
In this Discussion, you will reflect on personal examples of schedules of reinforcement. You will analyze these examples and consider the extent of their impact on your life.
To Prepare
- Review the Learning Resources for this week, including the required weekly media programs, to gain an understanding of schedules of reinforcement. Note: It is critical for you to review all media for this week prior to completing this Discussion.
- Think about how continuous reinforcement and extinction form the boundaries of schedules of reinforcement. Within these are variable (i.e., Variable Ratio, Variable Interval) and fixed (i.e., Fixed Ratio, Fixed Interval) schedules.
- Post your response to the following:
- Select and describe an example from your own life for each of the following:
- Continuous Reinforcement
- Fixed Ratio Schedule
- Fixed Interval Schedule
- Variable Interval Schedule
- Variable Ratio Schedule
- Extinction
- Explain whether you think any one of these plays a greater role in your life than the others and why.
- Explain how schedules of reinforcement are important to consider in developing an intervention.
- Select and describe an example from your own life for each of the following:
Resources
- Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.
- Chapter 13, “Schedules of Reinforcement” (pp. 301–324)
- Domjan, M. (2018). Schedules of reinforcement. Download Schedules of reinforcement.In The essentials of conditioning and learning (4th ed., pp. 113–127). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000057-000
Credit Line: The Essentials of Conditioning and Learning, 4th Edition by Domjan, M. Copyright 2018 by American Psychological Association. Reprinted by permission of American Psychological Association via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.