Schedules of reinforcement describe the rules for arranging reinforcers. Reinforcers are stimuli (physical events) that strengthen behaviors that precede and typically produce them. Behaviors that are strengthened by reinforcement are termed operant, because they operate on the environment to produce an important change. The response-strengthening effects of reinforcement typically involve an increase in the future rate or probability of operant behavior under similar circumstances in the future, although other changes in behavior (e.g., a decrease in latency or increase in amplitude) can also be indicative of reinforcement.

Schedules of reinforcement may specify temporal requirements, response requirements, or both. A huge variety of schedules can be arranged in controlled settings. Although several variables influence performance under a given schedule, basic ...