Intermittent reinforcement
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Definition
Intermittent Reinforcement is a term that orginated from B.F. Skinner's theories on Operant Conditioning and Behavorism.
Intermittent reinforcement - [reinforcement] is given only part of the times the animal gives the desired response. It is often used instead of continuous reinforcement once the desired response is conditioned by continuous reinforcement and the reinforcer wishes to cut down or eliminate the the number of reinforcements neccessary to encourage the intended response.
History
Burrhus Frederic Skinner was born March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna Pennsylvania. He attended New York's Hamilton College and received a BA in English Literature in 1926.
He spent a year in Greenwich Village after his graduation and became disillusioned with his ability to write fiction due to what he called a lack of world experience and personal perspective. During this "dark year" he read Bertrand Russell's Philosophy in which psychologist John B. Watson’s Behaviorist Philosophy was discussed. Skinner's writing had already taken a rather psychological slant and he abandoned literature and sought admission to Harvard University as a Graduate Student.
Skinner received a Ph D. from Harvard in 1931 and remained there until 1936. He then taught at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis and Indiana University at Bloomington, returning to Harvard as a tenured professor in 1948.
Types of Intermittant Reinforcement and examples for use
In his book, Solving Discipline and Classroom Management Problems: Methods and Models for Today’s Teachers, Charles H. Wolfgang has described the four major types of intermittent reinforcement. The following are a list and brief description or example of the four major types (Wolfgang 35).
- Fixed-ratio schedule: The number of times a student performs the target behavior will determine when she will receive the reinforcer. Example: A student will be reinforced after turning in four homework assignments.
- Variable-ratio schedule: The target response is reinforced on the average of a specific number of correct responses, about one every ten times. Example: A student will be reinforced after she turns in homework assignments about every ten times.
- Fixed-interval schedule: The student must perform the behavior at least once, and then a specific amount of time must pass before she may be reinforced again. Example: The student will be reinforced when she turns in a homework assignment after every four days.
- Fixed-interval schedules can also be used in a non-contingent reinforcement plan that is used to help extinguish unwanted behaviors in students or children. Several recent studies have shown this to be more effective then a simple omission schedule (see papers by Vollmer et al., 1993 and O’Reilly et al., 1999).
- Variable-interval schedules: The interval between reinforcers will vary and be unpredictable to the student, with the interval differing, but maintaining a consistent average length. Example: The student will be reinforeced when she demonstrates a desired behavior, turning in her homework, about once a week, but on different days of the week. The goal for the instructor is to try to re-inforce using an average re-inforcement time.
Also see [Wikipedia's Reinforcement]
Also see [Operant Conditioning]
Related Wiked Links:
Implications for teacher in the classroom
The interesting thing that Skinner discovered about intermittant reinforcement and maybe one of Skinner's most important discoveries was that behavior that is reinforced intermittantly is much more difficult to extinguish than behavior that is reinforced continuously. "This is why many of our student's undesirable behaviors are so difficult to stop. We might be able to resist a child's nagging most of the time, but if we yield every once in a while, the child will persist with it." (Crain, 187) Therefore, when we begin to teach a desired behavior it is best to begin with continuous reinforcement, but if you wish to make a desired behavior last it is best to switch to an intermittent schedule of reinforcement.
Personal Testimony
Please feel free to add your own testimony or ideas
Personal Testimony:
I have recently realized that I subjected myself to intermittent reinforcement through the idea to have to finish some work before going to sleep! Sometimes I managed to finish and I may (*1) get a reinforcement with the results, but most times the goal is too far away and the need for sleep becomes strong enough to stop the process, often very late, like 3am! The result is (was?) a strong increase of stress and non-efficient working patterns due to the non synchronization with other people schedules and an obvious jet-lag (*2). Otherwise it seems to me that : (a) as far as I am concerned it seems that the consciousness of this process (*3) is enough to stop it. (b) I think it could be linked to some serious burned out, so I hope this little blob of text will help. Thank you for reading, Green.
(*1) not always because the result may not be as significant as expected due to some new parameters appearing during the working process.
(*2) I could manage more or less weird schedules because of working freelance.
(*3) Anybody got some information linking extinction of intermittent reinforcement and consciousness of it?
I have used a version of "fixed-interval schedule" of intermittent reinforcement with my band students, although I did not call it that in my own mind! We have a policy that after every big concert, if the performance met certain standards, the students get a free day to do whatever they want. Because students tend to slack off more and more as the year progresses, I have found that this policy helps them to focus and work harder as we get closer to a performance. Elizabeth Giger
As a part of our PBIS program, we have a "respect board" system that is used to recognize positive behavior. Each classroom has a "respect board" where names are recorded when a child does something exceptional, goes out of there way to do something, or sometimes when they show appropriate behavior when others are not. A respect board drawing is held every two weeks; those children receive an award/prize and a group picture is taken and displayed. Thus, the more times your name appears on the board, the more chances you have! As we implemented this part of the program, it did become somewhat difficult to distinguish those actions that merited a name on the board as opposed to a behavior that should normally be expected to occur. I see this as a use of intermittent reinforcement that works very well. Connie Early
When I notice that my math classes do less work while getting close to the end of the semester, especially homework, I come up with different reinforcements in order to increase their interest in doing their work. I offer extra credit for the students who do not miss any homework or participate in every class for a week. I also give a homework waver that can be turned in replacing any work that a student missed. I also reward the students with perfect attendance with a pizza party, and all these things refresh the activity during the year. A. Rosu
Sources:
Crain, W. (2004). Theories Of Development: Concepts and Applications,
Fifth Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education.
Wolfgang, Charles H. (2002). Solving Discipline And Classroom Management
Problems: Methods and Models For Today’s Teachers. New York: John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.
For a nice and quick analysis of the information above see: http://teachvu.vu.msu.edu/public/designers/what_is_learning/index.php?page_num=4
For a critism of Intermittent Reinforcement see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8682734&dopt=Abstract
O’Reilly, M., Lancioni, G., and Taylor, I.(1999). An Empirical Analysis of Two Forms of Extinction to Treat Agression. Research in Developmental Disabilities, v. 20(5), pp. 315-325.
Vollmer, T.R., Iwata, B.A., Zarcone, J.R., Smith, R.G., and Mazaleski, J.L. (1993). The role of attentionin the treatment of attenition-maintained self-injurious behavior: Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO). Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 28, pp. 15-26
