On the first trial, the rat had to press the bar three times to get a pellet of food. On the second trial, seven bar presses were needed. Although it continued to vary from trial to trial, on the average the rat was reinforced for every five bar presses. The rat is on a _____ schedule of reinforcement.
A)fixed-interval
B)fixed-ratio
C)variable-ratio
D)variable-interval

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The rat is on a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement because the number of responses (bar presses) required to receive a reward (food pellet) changes from trial to trial, but averages out to a certain number over time.

On the First Trial, the Rat Had to Press the Bar