Question

Duke is practicing his spelling in the classroom. Duke is going to receive reinforcement after six demonstrations of the target behavior, which is spelling a word correctly.

Which of the following statements is true?
A.
Duke is on a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement.
B.
Duke is on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement.
C.
Duke is on a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement.
D.
Duke is on a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C. Duke is on a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement.

Fixed refers to the delivery of rewards on a consistent schedule. Ratio refers to the number of responses that are required in order to receive reinforcement. So in this example, the fixed-ratio schedule is that a reward will be delivered for every sixth correct spelling made by Duke.