This schedule of reinforcement, sometimes reinforcing hunting strategies in animals, and shopping strategies in humans, generally produces the lowest rate of responding because reinforcement is delivered at unpredictable time intervals.
A) Fixed-interval
B) Fixed-ratio
C) Variable-interval
D) Variable-ratio

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The schedule described is a variable-interval schedule, which means that reinforcement is delivered at unpredictable time intervals. This often results in a lower rate of responding because the individual does not know when the next reinforcement will come, so they are not consistently responding in anticipation of it. This is often seen in animals when reinforcing hunting behaviors and in humans when reinforcing shopping behaviors.

This Schedule of Reinforcement, Sometimes Reinforcing Hunting Strategies in Animals