Mom tells Billy that she will pay him to pull weeds from her flower garden.Because Mom is busy,she sometimes gives Billy a dime when he pulls five weeds,sometimes when he pulls 10 weeds,and other times when he pulls 20 or more weeds.The reinforcement schedule Mom is using is:

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The reinforcement schedule Mom is using is not fixed, as sometimes she rewards Billy for pulling five weeds, sometimes for pulling 10, and sometimes for pulling 20 or more. It is also not continuous, as Billy is not being rewarded for each and every weed he pulls. Instead, it is a variable ratio schedule, meaning the reinforcement is delivered after an unpredictable number of responses (in this case, pulling weeds). This is a particularly effective schedule for maintaining behavior, as it tends to produce a high rate of responding with minimal extinction.

Mom Tells Billy That She Will Pay Him to Pull