Question

The first lever press after 10 seconds results in food delivery, thereby increasing the rate of lever pressing. this is an example of what type of reinforcement schedule?

a) variable interval differential reinforcement of other responding
b) schedule differential reinforcement schedule differential
c) reinforcement of low responding schedule fixed interval
d) fixed ratio differential reinforcement

Answer 1

The situation described is an example of a fixed interval reinforcement schedule. This reinforcement schedule rewards a behavior after a predetermined amount of time. Therefore the correct answer is c) reinforcement of low responding schedule fixed interval

Step-by-step explanation:

The scenario where the first lever press after 10 seconds results in food delivery, thereby increasing the rate of lever pressing, is an example of a fixed interval reinforcement schedule. In operant conditioning, this particular schedule rewards behavior after a set amount of time has passed, regardless of the number of responses made during that interval. This schedule is characterized by a "scallop-shaped" pattern of responses, where there is a significant pause after reinforcement, followed by an increase in response rate as the time for the next reinforcement approaches.