Exam 3: Schedule of Reinforcement: All schedules

Question 1

Define: Fixed Ratio Schedule (FR)

Answer 1

a behavior is reinforced after it has occurred a fixed number of times.

Question 2

Define: Variable Ratio Schedule (VR)

Answer 2

reinforcement is given when a behavior has occurred around some average number of times.

Question 3

Define: Fixed Interval Schedule (FI)

Answer 3

the behavior is reinforced the first time it occurs after a fixed interval of time has elapsed.

Question 4

Define: Variable Interval Schedule (VI)

Answer 4

the interval after which responding becomes effective varies around some average amount.

Question 5

Define: Fixed Duration Schedule (FD)

Answer 5

reinforcement is given after the continuous performance of a behavior for a particular amount of time.

Question 6

Define: Variable Duration Schedule (VD)

Answer 6

reinforcement is given after an average amount of time a behavior is continually performed.

Question 7

Define: Differential Reinforcement of Low Rate (DRL)

Answer 7

reinforcement occurs only after a specified period of time has elapsed since the last behavior.

Question 8

Define: Differential Reinforcement of High Rate (DRH)

Answer 8

reinforcement occurs only if the individual engages in a behavior so many times in a given period.

Question 9

Define: Fixed Time Schedule (FT)

Answer 9

reinforcer is delivered after a given period of time, regardless of behavior.

Question 10

Define: Variable Time Schedule (VT)

Answer 10

reinforcer is delivered after an average period of time, regardless of behavior.

Question 11

A member of the paparazzi gets e-mail updates every hour, on the hour, about where her most lucrative celebrities are located. She has to open her e-mail account to get the updates.

Answer 11

Fixed Interval

Question 12

A man is playing the slot machines at a casino. He wins money on average every 20 pulls.

Answer 12

Variable Ratio

Question 13

A child gets to play video games, but only after she has practiced karate for 1 hour.

Answer 13

Fixed Duration

Question 14

A prehistoric person is trying to catch an animal to eat in a type of trap. She has to check the trap to see if there’s anything there. While animals appear randomly throughout the day, she catches an average of 3.6 animals per day.

Answer 14

Variable Interval

Question 15

A factory worker only gets paid if she produces at least 100 candles during the 8 hour workday. If she only produces 99 candles, she gets paid nothing.

Answer 15

Differential Reinforcement of High Rate

Question 16

An angler is fly fishing. She has to cast and reel the line on average about 20 times before catching each fish.

Answer 16

Variable Ratio

Question 17

Every four hours, food is delivered to a prisoner’s cell, regardless of the prisoner’s behavior.

Answer 17

Fixed Time

Question 18

A factory worker is paid for every spring she produces (i.e. she’s paid per spring).

Answer 18

Fixed Ratio

Question 19

A man on a diet has a special lock designed for his refrigerator. It allows him to open the refrigerator only once every 4 hours. If he tries to open it before the 4 hours are up, the time will reset, and he has to wait another 4 hours from that point.

Answer 19

Differential Reinforcement of High Rate

Question 20

Your friend is constantly on the phone, so when you try to call, you often get sent straight to voicemail. You have to call an average of 15 times before he answers.

Answer 20

Variable Ratio

Question 21

A custodian is allowed to take a break after each floor he has cleaned.

Answer 21

Fixed Ratio

Question 22

A dog is given a meal every 8 hours, give or take one or two hours (regardless of her behavior), depending on the activities of the family that week.

Answer 22

Variable Time

Question 23

To keep an alarm from sounding, a night watchman has to turn a key in a security box after a warning tone that occurs after every 30 minute interval has elapsed.

Answer 23

Fixed Interval

Question 24

In order to get her allowance, Kate needs to practice piano 12 hours per week. Some days she practices only 10 minutes, but other days she practices for an hour or more.

Answer 24

Variable Duration

Question 25

You decided to move to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Amazingly, you still get snail mail delivered there, but service is spotty. You have to go to the mailbox to get your mail, and they deliver it on average every 5 days, but sometimes it’s more frequent, sometimes less.

Answer 25

Variable Interval

Question 26

In a video game, a player needs to kill 10 “aliens” in order to get a point.

Answer 26

Fixed Ratio

Question 27

Your friend remarks how annoying it is that her dog jumps on her (and everyone else for that matter) all the time. After spending some time at her house, you notice that she mostly discourages the jumping behavior, but sometimes when the dog jumps on her, she plays with him. You notice that roughly every 5 jumps is what’s required for your friend to play with her dog, but sometimes it’s more, sometimes less.

Answer 27

Variable Ratio