Final answer:
Concurrent schedules are a concept from behavioral psychology where two or more reinforcement schedules are available at the same time, requiring different responses. They help in understanding how humans make choices and allocate their behaviors when presented with multiple opportunities for reinforcement.
Step-by-step explanation:
Concurrent schedules of reinforcement are a concept from behavioral psychology, particularly the area known as operant conditioning. In this context, concurrent schedules occur when two or more schedules of reinforcement are available at the same time, each requiring different responses or behaviors. For example, a person might be simultaneously working on two projects, each of which provides a different type of reward upon completion. The individual's behavior could be influenced by the reinforcement schedule associated with each project, such as a fixed ratio schedule where a reward is given after a set number of responses, or a variable ratio schedule where the reinforcement is given after an unpredictable number of responses.
The study of how individuals allocate their responses or behaviors between these concurrent schedules can yield insights into preference and decision-making processes. Researchers studying concurrent schedules often use them to understand how different reinforcement parameters like rate, magnitude, and delay to reinforcement influence choice behavior. This knowledge can be applied across a range of fields, from therapy and education to business and economics.