Schedules of Reinforcement

Foundations of Reinforcement: Continuous vs. Intermittent Schedules

In a session, an RBT follows the written rule for delivering programmed reinforcement; on a variable schedule, the requirement may change unpredictably while still following that rule. Instead, teams rely on a schedule of reinforcement, which is a rule that specifies which occurrences of a behavior will be followed by a reinforcer. When an RBT conducts a session, the written behavior plan provides the exact schedule rule to follow. Understanding the structure of these schedules ensures that the technician delivers reinforcement at the exact moments intended by the supervising BCBA or BCaBA.

The most basic distinction is between continuous and intermittent delivery. Continuous reinforcement involves delivering a reinforcer after every single occurrence of the target behavior. This schedule is commonly abbreviated as CRF or Fixed Ratio 1 (FR1). Continuous reinforcement is often used when teaching a new skill. In these acquisition phases, the RBT reinforces each target response as specified in the written plan so the client can quickly connect their action with the reinforcing consequence.

In contrast, intermittent reinforcement involves delivering a reinforcer for some, but not all, correct occurrences of a behavior. Continuous reinforcement is often useful when teaching a new skill, while intermittent reinforcement is often used to help maintain a learned behavior over time; the RBT follows the schedule in the written plan. Furthermore, behavior reinforced intermittently is generally more resistant to extinction than behavior reinforced continuously. In behavior analysis, extinction means that a behavior no longer produces the reinforcer that previously maintained it. Because the learner is accustomed to not receiving reinforcement for every single response under an intermittent schedule, the behavior persists longer when reinforcement is withheld.