Final answer:
Edwin Employer uses a Fixed Interval reinforcement schedule, rewarding employees at a set time each week. Slot machines employ a Variable Ratio schedule, where rewards come unpredictably after an unpredictable number of responses.
Step-by-step explanation:
Edwin Employer pays his workers at 5:00 p.m. every Friday, which is a Fixed Interval reinforcement schedule. This schedule rewards behavior after a set amount of time, regardless of the number of responses or behaviors performed. It is predictable and leads to a response pattern where there is typically a significant pause after reinforcement, as employees know exactly when they will be rewarded and thus may not exhibit increased performance until the time for reward draws near again.
Slot machines, conversely, utilize a Variable Ratio reinforcement schedule. This particular schedule is unpredictable with rewards distributed after a varying number of responses, which is essential for maintaining high rates of engagement and is considered the most resistant to extinction among the different schedules of reinforcement.