Chapter 14 - Interval Schedules Flashcards
In most joke books, an average of only 1 in 10 jokes is hilarious, and the rest are terrible. But most people will plow through all the jokes looking for the good ones. What schedule of reinforcement is a joke reader on? ___________
variable-ratio
If you think that an example involves a ratio schedule, ask, “If the person makes the response very rapidly, will the next reinforcer arrive __________?”
sooner
The author of a behavior analysis textbook sits in his office hour after hour typing new examples. His writing is reinforced by finally finishing the twentieth example for a lesson. If typing out an example is the response, what schedule of reinforcement is his writing on? __________
fixed-ratio
What two types of intermittent schedules produce a tendency for people to stop responding after reinforcement? [a] and [b]
fixed-interval/ fixed-ratio
When Danny gets in the car to go in a trip (no matter how long), he immediately begins asking, “Are we there yet? “ Sometimes the trips last just 3 minutes to the corner market, and other times they last 30 minutes to a nearby lake. Assuming that having one of his parents say, “yes, we are there” is a reinforcer, Danny is on what schedule of reinforcement for his questions? __________
variable-interval
If the author of a book were to put his or her climactic scenes too far apart in the book, the readers might quit reading even though they were still being reinforced occasionally. This would be an example of __________.
ratio-strain
Tactic #7 in using the reinforcement strategy for solving human problems is to reduce reinforcer frequency with a(n) __________ schedule.
interval
Explain why being reinforced every 10 minutes isn’t necessarily a fixed-interval schedule.
fixed-interval involves reinforcement for making the first response after a fixed period of time from the prior reinforcement. Otherwise it is a superstitious reinforcement procedure.
In most books, there are passages of scenes that are boring. However, most people just keep reading with the hope that a really exciting scene or passage will soon come along. Such a scene may occur on the average of only once in 33 pages, yet most people continue reading. Their reading behavior is on a(n) __________ schedule.
variable-ratio
Chester works in a factory in which his supervisor comes by to check on him every 10 minutes. If it is reinforcing for him to be found working, what schedule is he working on? __________
fixed-interval
Mawhinny and associates (1971) might have given tests in either of two ways: (a) after every three weeks or (b) after differing periods of time averaging three weeks. Which schedule would produce the more uniform rate of studying? __________
b
Do people maintain a uniform rate of responding on (a) fixed-interval or (b) variable-interval schedules? __________ (a or b)
b
If you think that an example involves an interval schedule, you should ask, “If the person makes no response at all, will there eventually arrive a time at which __________ response will produce the reinforcer?”
one
Name and define the two interval schedules.
fixed-interval: a schedule for reinforcing the first response after a fixed period of time from the prior reinforcement. Variable-interval: A schedule for reinforcing the first response after a varying period of time from the prior reinforcement.
A schedule in which the person is reinforced for the first response that occurs after a constant period of time is called a(n) __________ schedule.
fixed-interval
