Positive reinforcement is a powerful method for teaching new behaviors to both animals and humans. B.F. Skinner demonstrated this with his experiments using rats in a Skinner box. When a rat pressed a lever, it received a food pellet. This immediate reward encouraged the rat to repeat the behavior. This method, where a reward follows every instance of the behavior, is known as continuous reinforcement. It is highly effective for establishing new behaviors quickly.
Once a behavior is learned, trainers often switch to partial reinforcement, where rewards are given intermittently rather than every time. Partial reinforcement can be classified into four types: fixed interval, variable interval, fixed ratio, and variable ratio.
Understanding these reinforcement schedules helps in effectively shaping and maintaining desired behaviors in both educational and training settings.
From Chapter 5:
Now Playing
Learning
103 Views
Learning
276 Views
Learning
212 Views
Learning
352 Views
Learning
305 Views
Learning
414 Views
Learning
351 Views
Learning
1.4K Views
Learning
1.2K Views
Learning
128 Views
Learning
1.6K Views
Learning
98 Views
Learning
207 Views
Learning
108 Views
Learning
279 Views
See More
Copyright © 2025 MyJoVE Corporation. All rights reserved