On the first trial, a rat in a Skinner box receives reinforcement for the first bar press it makes after 50 seconds have elapsed. On the second trial, the rat receives reinforcement for the first bar press it makes after 70 seconds. Although it varies from trial to trial, on average the rat's behavior is reinforced once every 60 seconds. The rat is on a _____ schedule of reinforcement.
A) fixed-ratio
B) fixed-interval
C) variable-interval
D) variable-ratio

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The rat is on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement because the time between reinforcements varies but averages out to approximately 60 seconds. This is different from a fixed-ratio schedule, where the reinforcement is delivered after a fixed number of responses, or a fixed-interval schedule, where the reinforcement is delivered after a fixed amount of time has passed. A variable-ratio schedule would involve delivering reinforcement after a variable number of responses, which is not the case in this scenario.

On the First Trial, a Rat in a Skinner Box