Anson puts in very little work during his term at college. But at the end of the term, when the workload suddenly increases, he finds it difficult to study and sometimes suffers a breakdown. This seems to be an example of
A) response deprivation.
B) reinforcement noncontingency.
C) contingency burn-out.
D) ratio strain.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ratio strain occurs when the response requirement in a fixed or variable ratio reinforcement schedule is increased too quickly or is too high, leading to a breakdown in responding. Anson's sudden increase in workload and subsequent difficulty in coping is an example of ratio strain, where the demand (ratio of work to reward) becomes too high too suddenly, leading to a breakdown.

Anson Puts in Very Little Work During His Term at College