Intermittent Reinforcement Schedules.
The administration of a reward over irregular intervals is known as intermittent reinforcement, and it is a practice that has been proven to elicit the most effort from an individual (Xian, 2021). The individual is rewarded at seemingly random frequencies rather than every time they accomplish a targeted response or adhere to a particularly regular schedule. It is a branch of behavioral psychology that investigates how individuals and other species react to incentives given on different schedules. It’s a conditioning method in which reinforcement is issued randomly and sporadically to maintain a conditioned response. The reinforcement theory is used to promote and maintain a desired and conditioned behavior.
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The four main types of intermittent reinforcement include Fixed ratio schedule (FR), Variable interval schedule (VI), Fixed interval schedule (FI), and Variable ratio schedule (VR). The FI reinforces conditioned targeted behavior after a specific period elapses since the previous reinforcement was awarded (López-Tolsa & Pellón 2021). Subjects are trained such that their response to conditioned behavior is awarded after the specified time. An example of FI is students studying for end-of-term exams, which occur after specified term dates are over. On the other hand, the FR schedule reinforces targeted behavior after certain numbers of responses are achieved. For this, individuals have to respond positively to the conditioned behavior for some specified occasions before receiving the reinforcement. An example of FR is the awarding of students who are top in a subject after three tests.
VI schedules is a habit-forming reinforcement that awards individuals after the variable period elapses since the previous reinforcement. For this, the period taken to the other reinforcement is not constant and varies every time. It is done to promote steady behavior patterns. An example of VI is awarding overall grades depending on all tests and assignments tackled within a semester for university students. VR, on the other hand, is characterized by the delivery of awards upon achievement of a variable number of responses since the previous reinforcement. For this, the number of responses targeted to the next reinforcement is not constant and varies throughout. A good example of VR is lottery tickets, where individuals repeatedly buy winning cards without knowing the winning probability.
References
Xian, R. (2021). Conditioning Constructs: A Psychological Theory of International Negotiated Cooperation. International Negotiation, 26(2), 319-356.
López-Tolsa, G. E., & Pellón, R. (2021). Assessment of the ‘timing function of schedule-induced behavior on fixed-interval performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 47(3), 326.
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Question 
Explain each of the intermittent reinforcement schedules
Intermittent Reinforcement Schedules.
(fixed-ratio, variable-ratio, fixed-interval, and variable interval) in your own words and give an example of each.