ABA glossary
Schedule of reinforcement
Definition
A rule that specifies which occurrences of a behavior will be reinforced, based on the number of responses, the passage of time, or both. Continuous reinforcement (CRF) reinforces every response; intermittent schedules reinforce only some.
In plain words
A schedule tells the person delivering reinforcement when to do it. A token after every correct response is CRF, which suits teaching a new skill. Once the skill is solid, the team usually moves to an intermittent schedule so the behavior holds up when reinforcement is less frequent, as it is in daily life. The four simple intermittent schedules come from two choices: count responses (ratio) or wait for time to pass (interval), and keep the requirement the same (fixed) or let it vary around an average (variable). That gives fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval.
Example from a session
Leo's program reads: "CRF for correct tacts until 80% correct across two sessions, then FR 2." For the first week the RBT gives a token after every correct tact. When Leo meets the criterion and the BCBA updates the program, the RBT gives a token after every second correct tact and notes the change on the data sheet so the graph shows where it happened.
For BCBA candidates and supervisors
Schedules matter for both acquisition and maintenance. Intermittent schedules, especially variable ones, make behavior more resistant to extinction than CRF does. That helps maintenance, and it also explains why intermittently reinforced problem behavior persists. Analysts thin schedules gradually to avoid ratio strain and use compound schedules (multiple, mixed, chained, concurrent) when more than one contingency operates. Fixed-time and variable-time schedules deliver stimuli regardless of responding; they are the basis of noncontingent reinforcement, not schedules that reinforce a response.
Often confused with fixed ratio, fixed interval
Ratio schedules depend only on how many responses occur; interval schedules depend on time passing and then one response. On FI 2 min, responses during the 2 minutes earn nothing, and the first response after 2 minutes is reinforced. On FR 2, every second response is reinforced, however long it takes.
Exam tip
Read each abbreviation as two words: fixed or variable, then ratio or interval. Ratio means a number of responses; interval means time, then the first response. "Delivered every 5 minutes no matter what" is not an interval schedule; it is a fixed-time schedule.
Can you spot schedule of reinforcement in a scenario?
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