Final answer:
This question deals with an experimental design in psychology, specifically using operant conditioning to shape behavior by adjusting reinforcement or punishment criteria. Various reinforcement schedules such as fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval are utilized to reinforce desired behaviors in phases.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to an experimental design used within the field of behavior analysis, a subset of psychology. This design, often seen in the context of operant conditioning, involves adjusting the criteria for reinforcement or punishment across different treatment phases to shape a subject's behavior. Various reinforcement schedules are used in operant conditioning, such as fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval.
Fixed ratio schedules deliver reinforcement after a set number of responses, leading to a high response rate with a short pause afterward. Variable ratio schedules offer reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses, yielding high and steady response rates. Fixed interval schedules provide reinforcement following a set amount of time, resulting in a scalloped-shaped response pattern with a significant pause after reinforcement. Variable interval schedules involve reinforcement based on varying and unpredictable amounts of time, leading to moderate, steady response rates.
Implementing these reinforcement schedules in stages allows the experimenter to reinforce successive approximations of the desired behavior gradually. The process starts by reinforcing any response that resembles the desired behavior. Next, only responses that more closely match the desired behavior are reinforced, until eventually, only the desired behavior receives reinforcement.