Schedules of Reinforcement
Answer the following questions by identifying the correct schedule of reinforcement.
Provide a 50- to 75-word explanation of why you believe this is the schedule of reinforcement being used.
1. Mrs. Blass is tired of her students not being prepared for class each day. She knows that they are hard-working seniors who value getting an A in the class, and she wants to set up a schedule of work so they study hard and consistently. She schedules pop quizzes. Only she knows when those quizzes will be given. Assuming the students find the grade of A or B to be reinforcing, what schedule of reinforcement is at work here?
2. Sally broke up with her boyfriend. She refuses to text him back 90% of the time when he texts her. Sometimes, this means she will not text back after 10 or 20 texts. Finally, she gets frustrated (and lonely) and will text back but only to say ‘hi,’ ‘good luck at your football game,’ or other seemingly meaningless comments. This process continues for months, where he texts her a few times every day, and eventually she will break down and answer. Which schedule of reinforcement is the reason the boyfriend is still texting so long after the breakup?
3. Parents are teaching 2-year-old Johnny how to use the toilet. Every time he urinates even a little amount in the toilet they jump up and down, and he gets a bite of his favorite cookie. Which schedule of reinforcement is this an example of when first teaching a skill?
4. Manuel is thinking about opening a new coffee shop, which will compete with the big companies in town, but he is not sure how to draw in the crowds. To start, he offers reward points. When customers come in, they get a star for every $5 they spend. Once they have spent $50, they receive a free medium drip coffee. Which schedule of reinforcement is Manuel using to lure in repeat business?
5. Dr. Lee notices his patients are not coming in for their routine visits on time. They often push them back, which causes backups at some time in the year (before school starts) and low numbers at other times of year (summer). He wants more consistent clientele and work, so he offers a 10% discount on his current rates if patients stick to their defined three appointments a year (every 3.3 months). Patients motivated by this discount are adhering to which schedule of reinforcement?
