To have understood which schedules of reinforcement produce a desired behavior, we examined whether a Fixed Ratio (FR) scale was more effective than a Fixed Interval (FI) scale. Subjects participated in an interview and were unaware that they were being reinforced on an FR, or FI schedule. Other studies have shown an FR scale to be more effective than an FI scale, so it was expected that FR schedules would produce more self-referenced statements (SRS) than FI in the last five minutes. The results didn't support this hypothesis since there was no effect of reinforcement on the number of SRS in the last five minutes (p>.05). Variability in the data could have influenced the results.
[...] They were told that what they disclosed was completely confidential, that their identity was anonymous, and that there was no more risk than there would be in a normal conversation between friends. They were also told that the interview would take place for 30-35 minutes. Each researcher took a turn “interviewing” a participant in the FR and FI conditions, and likewise each researcher took their turn as a data collector and timer. In all the conditions, the interviewer began by asking the subject, “What are some of the good and bad aspects of living here in Maine?” After this question, the rest of the conversation was unformatted. [...]
[...] FR AND FI SCHEDULE DIFFERENCES Abstract To have understood which schedules of reinforcement produce a desired behavior, we examined whether a Fixed Ratio scale was more effective than a Fixed Interval scale. Subjects participated in an interview and were unaware that they were being reinforced on an FR, or FI schedule. Other studies have shown an FR scale to be more effective than an FI scale, so it was expected that FR schedules would produce more self-referenced statements (SRS) than FI in the last five minutes. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
