Josiah checks his email several times throughout the day. Some days there is mail each time he checks; sometimes several days go by with no new messages arriving. In this example, Josiah's behavior of checking his email is being reinforced on a _____ schedule.
A)variable-interval
B)fixed-ratio
C)fixed-interval
D)variable-ratio

Question

Josiah checks his email several times throughout the day. Some days there is mail each time he checks; sometimes several days go by with no new messages arriving. In this example, Josiah's behavior of checking his email is being reinforced on  a _____ schedule.
A)variable-interval
B)fixed-ratio
C)fixed-interval
D)variable-ratio

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Josiah's behavior of checking his email is reinforced on a variable-interval schedule because the reinforcement (receiving new emails) occurs at unpredictable time intervals.

Josiah Checks His Email Several Times Throughout the Day