Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Concurrent-chain schedule of reinforcement' – A complex reinforcement procedure in which the participant is permitted to choose during the first link which of several simple reinforcement schedules will be in effect in the second link. Once a choice has been made, the rejected alternatives become unavailable until the start of the next trial.
A reinforcement schedule may be defined as "any procedure that delivers reinforcement to an organism according to some well-defined rule". [10] The effects of schedules became, in turn, the basic findings from which Skinner developed his account of operant conditioning.
The most notable schedules of reinforcement studied by Skinner were continuous, interval (fixed or variable), and ratio (fixed or variable). All are methods used in operant conditioning. Continuous reinforcement (CRF): each time a specific action is performed the subject receives a reinforcement. This method is effective when teaching a new ...
Variable-time schedules are similar to random ratio schedules in that there is a constant probability of reinforcement, but these reinforcers are set up in time rather than responses. The probability of no reinforcement occurring before some time t’ is an exponential function of that time with the time constant t being the average IRI of the ...
Skinner's theory of operant conditioning played a key role in helping psychologists understand how behavior is learned. It explains why reinforcement can be used so effectively in the learning process, and how schedules of reinforcement can affect the outcome of conditioning.
The hypothesis was originally formulated to describe choice behaviour among concurrently available chained schedules of reinforcement; [2] however, the basic principle of delay reduction () as the basis for determining a stimulus’ conditionally reinforcing function can be applied more generally to other research areas.
Some people may use an intermittent reinforcement schedule that include: fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval and variable interval. Another option is to use a continuous reinforcement. Schedules can be both fixed and variable and also the number of reinforcements given during each interval can vary. [10]
Reinforcement occurs when the consequence of a behavior makes it more likely for that behavior to occur in the future. Reinforcing consequences can be either positive, where something preferred is added, or negative, where something aversive is removed. [63] Reinforcement is the key element in operant conditioning and most behavior change programs.