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
126 Views
Learning
321 Views
Learning
276 Views
Learning
424 Views
Learning
436 Views
Learning
505 Views
Learning
551 Views
Learning
1.5K Views
Learning
1.3K Views
Learning
172 Views
Learning
1.7K Views
Learning
139 Views
Learning
245 Views
Learning
160 Views
Learning
399 Views
See More
Copyright © 2025 MyJoVE Corporation. All rights reserved