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Partial Reinforcement Effect
An effect wherein a behavior that is reinforced intermittently is more resistant to becoming extinct than a behavior that is continuously reinforced. In partial reinforcement sche dules, only some responses are reinforced during learning, not each and every response. Thus, a behavior that is observed under this treatment shows increased resis tance to extinction as well as increased performance. The predictability of behavior under reinforcement schedules was advanced by B. F. Skinner, using operant conditioning. The reliability of the schedules led to the development of applied behavior analysis as a means of controlling behavior. An example of a partial reinforce ment schedule is the variable ratio schedule. Under this, reinforcement is delivered after a random number of responses that is based on a predetermined average. ...