What Is a Fixed-Ratio Schedule?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It IsHow It WorksExamplesEffectiveness

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What It Is

How It Works

Examples

Effectiveness

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In operant conditioning, a fixed-ratio schedule is aschedule of reinforcementwhere a response is reinforced only after a specified number of responses. One advantage of a fixed-ratio schedule is that it produces a high, steady rate of responding with only a brief pause after the delivery of the reinforcer.

Learn more about what a fixed-ratio schedule is and how it works for reinforcement. We also provide a few examples of what a fixed-ratio schedule looks like in day-to-day life, also discussing its effectiveness.

Fixed-Ratio Schedule in Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioninginvolves strengthening or weakening behaviors via rewards and punishments. This type of associative learning changes behavior based on that behavior’s consequences.

BehavioristB.F. Skinnerobserved that the rate at which a behavior was reinforced, or the schedule of reinforcement, had an impact on the frequency and strength of the response.

The fixed-ratio (FR) schedule is just one of the schedules that Skinner identified. Other schedules of reinforcement are:

How a Fixed-Ratio Schedule Works

For example, a fixed-ratio schedule might involve the delivery of a reward for every fifth response. After the subject responds to the stimulus five times, a reward is delivered.

So, imagine that you are training a lab rat to press a button to receive a food pellet. You decide to put the rat on a fixed-ratio 15 (FR-15) schedule. To receive the food pellet, the rat must engage in the operant response (pressing the button) 15 times before it will receive the pellet.

The schedule is fixed, so the rat will consistently receive the pellet every 15 times it presses the lever. It doesn’t matter how long it takes the rat to deliver the 15 presses.

Examples of a Fixed-Ratio Schedule

To better understand what a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement looks like, consider these examples in everyday life.

Effectiveness of a Fixed-Ratio Schedule

What impact does this schedule have on response rates? The fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement results in a high, steady response until the reinforcement is delivered. There is a brief response pause after reinforcement, but responding quickly resumes.

Typically, the FR schedule leads to very high rates of response that follow a burst-pause-burst pattern. Subjects will respond at a high rate until the reinforcement is delivered, at which point there will be a brief pause. However, responding will resume again at a high rate.

This high rate of response is one of the advantages of a fixed-ratio schedule. One possible disadvantage is that subjects may quickly become exhausted from such a high response rate. Or, they may become satiated after several reinforcements have been given.

Fixed-ratio schedules are often used after a response has been learned but to reinforce it. In the rat example, the rat has learned that pressing the bar earns a food pellet. To make sure the rat continues this behavior, it can be reinforced with a fixed ratio.

Summary

A fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement can be a useful approach to certain situations that use operant conditioning.When choosing a schedule, however, it is important to think about factors such as the desired frequency of the response and how often to provide a reward.

1 SourceVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Strohacker K, Galarraga O, Williams DM.The impact of incentives on exercise behavior: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Ann Behav Med. 2014;48(1):92‐99. doi:10.1007/s12160-013-9577-4Additional ReadingDomjan M, Grau JW.The Principles of Learning and Behavior.Kalat JW.Introduction to Psychology.

1 Source

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Strohacker K, Galarraga O, Williams DM.The impact of incentives on exercise behavior: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Ann Behav Med. 2014;48(1):92‐99. doi:10.1007/s12160-013-9577-4Additional ReadingDomjan M, Grau JW.The Principles of Learning and Behavior.Kalat JW.Introduction to Psychology.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Strohacker K, Galarraga O, Williams DM.The impact of incentives on exercise behavior: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Ann Behav Med. 2014;48(1):92‐99. doi:10.1007/s12160-013-9577-4

Domjan M, Grau JW.The Principles of Learning and Behavior.Kalat JW.Introduction to Psychology.

Domjan M, Grau JW.The Principles of Learning and Behavior.

Kalat JW.Introduction to Psychology.

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