Gretta spends a lot of time at the race track betting on ponies, and occasionally she wins. The frequency of her betting is controlled by which of the following?
A) fixed ratio schedules
B) a continuous reinforcement schedule
C) a partial schedule of reinforcement
D) luck

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A partial schedule of reinforcement is a type of operant conditioning where behavior is reinforced only some of the time. Gretta's occasional wins suggest that she is being reinforced on a partial schedule, which is likely controlling her betting behavior. Fixed ratio schedules would involve reinforcement after a set number of bets, and a continuous reinforcement schedule would involve reinforcement after every single bet, which does not seem to be the case for Gretta. Luck cannot be considered a controlling factor as it is not a behavioral reinforcement schedule.

Gretta Spends a Lot of Time at the Race Track