You notice that the pigeon in the laboratory you just entered has a particular way of pecking at the key in its cage. The pigeon seems to increase its rate of pecking towards the end of a two minute period, food is made available, and then pecking slows until the end of the next two minutes.You surmise that the pigeon is on a
A)fixed ratio schedule.
B)variable ratio schedule.
C)fixed interval schedule.
D)variable interval schedule.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The behavior of the pigeon (increasing rate of pecking towards the end of a two minute period, followed by a decrease until the end of the next two minutes) is indicative of a fixed interval schedule. In this type of schedule, reinforcement is only given after a specific amount of time has passed, regardless of how many responses are made during that time. The pigeon is likely pecking more quickly towards the end of the interval because it has learned that reinforcement is coming soon, but then slows down once the reinforcement has been delivered.

You Notice That the Pigeon in the Laboratory You Just