Final answer:
Slot machines reward gamblers based on a variable ratio reinforcement schedule, where rewards are given after an unpredictable number of responses, leading to a high and steady rate of gambling behavior that is resistant to extinction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question posed by the student is related to behavioral reinforcement schedules, specifically within the context of gambling and slot machines. The correct answer to the student's question is that slot machines reward gamblers with money according to what is known as a variable ratio reinforcement schedule. In this type of schedule, a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses, which creates a high and steady rate of responding. Gamblers cannot predict after how many plays they will win, but they can expect to win eventually if they keep playing, hence they are likely to continue gambling.
This system of reinforcement ensures that the behavior (playing the slot machine) is very resistant to extinction because the reward (money) is not given every time, and the gambler does not know when the next reward will come, but knows it will eventually if they continue to play. Unlike fixed schedules, where the reinforcement comes after a set number of responses or time interval, variable schedules provide reinforcement at unpredictable ratios or intervals, making the behaviors learned under these schedules hard to extinguish.