Things are going pretty well for George (see item 26) until he jumps from reinforcing every tenth response to reinforcing every 50th response. At this point, the pigeon responds erratically and nearly
Stops responding entirely. George's pigeon is suffering from _________.
A) ratio strain
B) ratiocination
C) satiation
D) reinforcer deprivation

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ratio strain occurs when reinforcement is too thin or too thick, which can lead to erratic or reduced responding. In this case, George's pigeon was responding well with reinforcement every tenth response, but when the ratio was changed to every 50th response, the pigeon struggled to maintain its behavior. This suggests that the ratio of reinforcement was too thin for the pigeon's needs, resulting in ratio strain. Reinforcer deprivation refers to a situation where an animal is not receiving reinforcement at all, and satiation refers to a situation where an animal has received too much of a reinforcer and loses interest in it. Ratiocination refers to a type of reasoning or problem-solving, which is not relevant in this context.

Things Are Going Pretty Well for George (See Item 26)