Other Schedules of Reinforcement and Punishment

1. Other Schedules of Reinforcement and Punishment

2. Differential Schedules • Also called Differentiation or IRT schedules. • Usually used with reinforcement • Used where the reinforcer depends BOTH on time and the number of reinforcers. • Provides an intervention for behavior problems associated with rate of response. • Can be very effective in producing or reducing behavior.

3. Interresponse Time ( IRT) • Is the time that occurs between two responses • IRT and rate of responding are functionally related • Long IRT schedules produce low rates of responding • Short IRT schedules produce high rates of responding

4. Differentiation Rate of High Responding (DRH) • Have to respond at a high rate within a certain amount of time. • Examples 1. Need to complete 25 math problems within 30 minutes • You work your tail off to get them done and receive recess for 15 minutes 2. Must sell 15 car in the next 10 days • Work hard, get them sold and receive a $15,000 bonus • Is very effective - Get very high rates of responding.

5. Variations of DRH • Full Session DRH • Provides reinforcement if the total number of responses during the session meets or exceeds a number criterion across the entire session • Interval Session DRH • Reinforcement is available only for responses that over during short periods of time during the session. (Get additional bonuses during the 10 day session)

6. Issues • Cannot make the level to high • If the organism does not respond enough, it will receive less reward and ultimately decrease their response rate. • Sell 25 cars in 10 days • Responding looks like an FI schedule. • Work hard, get cars sold, then you take a break.

7. Differentiation Rate of Low Responding DRL • Sometimes referred to as Spaced-Responding DRH or Space-responding DRL • Is designed to create low levels of responding during a particular time period. • A period of time must elapse with few or responses of the undesired behavior. (Number of responses is defined by the schedule) • E.g., Don’t want a child to act out in class. Give the kid a reinforcer when acting out responses are low during a particular time period. Will give low rates of responding.

8. Variations • Full Session DRL • Provides reinforcement if the total number of responses during the entire session is at or below some level • Interval Session DRL • Reinforcement is available only for lack of responding during short intervals of time during the entire session

9. Attributes • Works well in applied settings. • Schools • Group homes • Other

10. Differentiation Rates of Responding for Other Behaviors (DRO) • Provide reinforcement only in the absence of a response in a specified period of time • No acting out for the next hour and you get 15 minutes of recess.

11. Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA) • Is similar to DRO • Inappropriate behavior is replaced by reinforcing alternative behaviors Decreases inappropriate behavior

12. Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI) • Also similar to DRO • Reinforce a behavior that is incompatile with the targeted behavior • Reduce out of seat behavior by reinforcing in seat behavior

13. Points to Note for Differentiation Schedules • Cannot make the schedule to thin initially • If the organism cannot get reinforced, may not get the desired response • May get alternative reinforcement for others

14. Progressive Schedules of Reinforcement • Systematically thins each successive reinforcement opportunity independent of the participant’s behavior. • Progressive Ratio Schedules of Reinforcement (PR) • Progressive Interval Schedules of Reinforcement (PI) • Systematically increase the ratio or interval requirements for reinforcement

15. Differential Reinforcement of Diminishing Rates • Similar to a DRL schedule • Get reinforced for the lack of responding over a period of time • Reinforced for only 5 outbursts in 30 minutes • Then reinforced for only 4 outbursts in 30 minutes • Etc.

16. Compound Schedules of Reinforcement • Combine elements of continuous, intermittent, or differential reinforcement • Requires the participant to choose between two or more stimuli • Arranging two or more reinforcers for the participant to choose from contingent upon the occurrence of a target behavior.

17. The Matching Law • Rate of responding typically is proportional to the rate of reinforcement received from each choice alternative.

18. Subject Performance • Concurrent interval schedules – participants typically do not allocate all of their responses exclusively to the richer schedule. • Concurrent ratio schedules – participants are sensitive to the ratio schedules an tend to maximize reinforcement by responding primarily to the ratio that produces the higher rate of reinforcement.

19. Discriminative Schedules of Reinforcement • Presents two or more basic schedules of reinforcement in an alternating, usually random, sequence. • Basic schedules occur successively and independently. • A discriminative stimulus is correlated with each basic schedule and is present as long as the schedule is in effect

20. Non-discriminative Schedules of Reinforcement • Mixed Schedules (mix) • Identical to multiple schedules, except the mixed schedule has no discriminative stimuli correlated with the independent schedules • Example: mix FR 10 FI 1 schedule

21. Things to note • Need to monitor the behavior and develop a baseline • Implement the intervention based on some particular schedule • Monitor the outcome and determine if the behavior has changed. If not, examine the behavior • If the behavior changes, after the behavior is stable, change the schedule • Do not change until the behavior is stable

22. Conclusions • Lots of schedules • Make sure you understand them • Consider the schedule BEFORE you begin planning your intervention • When will you change it, how will you thin it, etc.