Sarah gets a weekly allowance, but only if all of her chores are completed by 5 P.M. on Friday night. Although Sarah does some work around the house during the week, most of her chores are done in a burst of activity after she comes home from school on Friday afternoon. Sarah's behavior is being maintained on a _____ schedule of reinforcement.
A)variable-ratio (VR)
B)fixed-ratio (FR)
C)variable-interval (VI)
D)fixed-interval (FI)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sarah's allowance is only given if she completes all her chores by a specific time (5 P.M. on Friday night), which is a fixed time interval. Therefore, her behavior is being maintained on a fixed-interval (FI) schedule of reinforcement. This means that the reinforcement (allowance) is only provided after a fixed amount of time has passed (one week in this case), regardless of how many chores Sarah does during the week.

Sarah Gets a Weekly Allowance, but Only If All of Her