Schedules of Reinforcement

The term schedule of reinforcement refers to the timing with which reinforcement is delivered for a certain behavior. This scheduling is important because different schedules produce different effects on behavior. The most basic type of schedule is one in which reinforcement follows every occurrence of the behavior. This type of schedule is referred to as continuous reinforcement (CRF) and should be used when teaching new behaviors; it is characterized by high rates of responding. For example, if Bob is shy but responds well to teacher praise, the teacher may institute a CRF schedule in which every time Bob offers an answer in class, teacher praise immediately follows. For this type of schedule to be truly continuous, each and every instance of the behavior must be ...