Marlene likes to get email, and she checks her electronic mailbox frequently.Sometimes she gets 15 messages in a single day, and sometimes several days can go by with no new messages coming in.Based on what is known about schedules of reinforcement, you should conclude that Marlene's behavior of "checking her email" is being reinforced based on a:
A)fixed-ratio schedule
B)variable-ratio schedule
C)variable-interval schedule
D)fixed-interval schedule

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A fixed-ratio schedule would involve Marlene getting reinforced for checking her email after a certain number of emails received, which does not fit the description. A variable-ratio schedule would involve Marlene getting reinforced after a random number of emails received, which also does not fit the description. A fixed-interval schedule would involve Marlene getting reinforced for checking her email after a certain amount of time has passed, which does not fit the description either. The best fit is a variable-interval schedule, where Marlene gets reinforced for checking her email after a random amount of time has passed since the last reinforcement (getting an email). This explains why she continues to check frequently, even when there are no new messages coming in, because she knows there is a chance she will get reinforced for checking.

Marlene Likes to Get Email, and She Checks Her Electronic