Schedules of reinforcement

A schedule of reinforcement is basically a rule stating which instances of a behavior will be reinforced. Psychologists have identified several different schedules of reinforcement. When reinforcement is administered uninterruptedly, it is called continuous reinforcement. Instead, in organizations, reinforcements are administered following partial reinforcement schedules.

Four varieties of partial reinforcement schedules have great relevance to organizations. They are

• Fixed interval schedule:
It means providing reinforcement on a predetermined, constant schedule. The first desired behavior to occur after the interval has elapsed is reinforced. This schedule causes high amounts of responding near the end of the interval, but much slower responding immediately after the delivery of the reinforcer.

• Variable interval schedule:
Variable interval schedules occur when a response is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed. This schedule produces a slow, steady rate of response. It also uses time as the basis for applying reinforcement; but it varies the intervals between reinforcements.

• Fixed ratio schedule:
Fixed ratio schedules are those where a response is reinforced only after a specified number of responses. This schedule produces a high, steady rate of responding with only a brief pause after the delivery of the reinforcer. Reinforcement is administered after the desired behaviors occur a specified number of times. E.g.: Piece rating

• Variable ratio schedule:
Variable ratio schedules occur when a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses. This schedule creates a high steady rate of responding. Gambling and lottery games are good examples of a reward based on a variable ratio schedule. This type of reinforcement schedule provokes most interest and is preferred by employees for some tasks. It tends to be the most powerful of all the reinforcement schedules. Slot machines and a number of gambling devices operate on a variable ratio schedule.