Question

read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.
duke is practicing his spelling in the classroom. duke is going to receive reinforcement after six demonstrations of the target behavior, which is spelling a word correctly.
which of the following statements is true?
a. duke is on a fixed - interval schedule of reinforcement.
b. duke is on a variable - interval schedule of reinforcement.
c. duke is on a fixed - ratio schedule of reinforcement.
d. duke is on a variable - ratio schedule of reinforcement.

Explanation:

In operant conditioning, a fixed - ratio schedule means reinforcement is given after a fixed number of responses. Here, Duke gets reinforcement after six correct spellings (a fixed number of responses). A fixed - interval schedule is based on time (e.g., reinforcement after a fixed time period). A variable - interval schedule has an unpredictable time interval for reinforcement. A variable - ratio schedule has an unpredictable number of responses for reinforcement. Since it's a fixed number (six) of correct spellings (responses), it's a fixed - ratio schedule.

Answer:

C. Duke is on a fixed - ratio schedule of reinforcement.