PS261 Lecture 6: SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT
Document Summary
Lec 6: schedules of reinforcement and choice behaviour. A schedule of reinforcement is a plan that specifies when a response will be followed by reinforcement. Each schedule of reinforcement produces a signature pattern of responding on the cumulative recorder. In ratio schedule, reinforcement depends on the number of responses an organism has to do regardless of how long it takes. Reinforcement delivered after a fixed/specific number of responses have been completed. Reinforcement delivered after an average number of responses have occurred. Exact number of responses necessary changes randomly for each reinforcer delivery. First reinforcer may require 3 lever presses, next 6, next 5 etc. Less predictable than fr which leads to different patterns of responding. Fr schedule produces a pattern that looks like stairs; period of no responding at all following reinforcement (post reinforcement pause) followed by ratio run (rapid stream of responses that continues until ratio requirement is completed and reinforcement delivered again)
