Operant conditioning is a learning
process in which new behaviors are acquired and modified though 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.
What
Is a Schedule of Reinforcement?
So what exactly is a schedule of
reinforcement and how does it work in the conditioning process? A schedule of
reinforcement is basically a rule stating which instances of a 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 might be used,
depending on the situation. In both cases, the goal of reinforcement is always
to strengthen the behavior and increase the likelihood that it
will occur again in the future.
You can get a better feel for how
reinforcement schedules operate by thinking about how learning takes 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. For situations where you are
purposely trying to train and reinforce an action, such as in the classroom, in
sports, or in animal training, you might opt to follow a specific reinforcement
schedule.
As you'll see below, some schedules
are best suited to certain types of training situations. In some cases,
training might call for starting out with one schedule and switching to another
once the desired behavior has been taught. Certain schedules of reinforcement
may be more effective in specific situations.
There are two types of reinforcement
schedules:
Continuous
Reinforcement Schedules
In continuous reinforcement, the
desired behavior is reinforced every single time it occurs.
This schedule is best used during the initial stages of learning in order to
create a strong association between the behavior and the response.
For example, imagine that you are
trying to teach a dog to shake your hand. During the initial stages of
learning, you would probably stick to a continuous reinforcement schedule in
order to teach and establish the behavior. You might start by grabbing the
animal's paw, performing the shaking motion, saying "Shake," and then
offering a reward each and every time you perform this sequence of steps.
Eventually, the dog will start to perform the action on his own, and you might
opt to continue reinforcing every single correct response until the behavior is
well established.
Once the response if firmly
attached, reinforcement is usually switched to a partial reinforcement
schedule.
Partial
Reinforcement Schedules
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.
For example, think of our earlier
example where you were training a dog to shake. While you initially used a
continuous schedule, reinforcing every single instance of the behavior may not
always be realistic. Eventually, you might decide to switch to a partial
schedule where you provide reinforcement after so many responses occur or after
so much time has elapsed.
There are four schedules of partial
reinforcement:
Fixed-ratio schedules are those
where 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 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 a third pellet after two bar presses.
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 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, another pellet
for the first response following a five-minute interval, and a third food
pellet for the first response following a three-minute interval.
How
Do You Choose a Schedule of Reinforcement?
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 some type of reward every time you showed up to work on
time. Instead, such rewards are usually doled out on a much less predictable
partial reinforcement schedule. Not only are these schedules much more
realistic and easier to implement, they also tend to produce higher response
rates while being less susceptible to extinction.
Realistically, reinforcing a
behavior every single time it occurs can be difficult and requires a great deal
of attention and resources. Partial schedules not only tend to lead to
behaviors that are more resistant to extinction, they also reduce the risk that
the subject will become satiated. If the reinforcer being used is no longer
desired or rewarding, the subject may stop performing the desired behavior.
For example, imagine that you are
trying to teach a dog to sit. If you are using food as a reward, the dog might
stop performing the action once he is full. In such instances, something like
praise or attention might be a more effective 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, it is important
to consider different aspects of the situation including the type of behavior
that is being taught and the type of response that is required.
