bypass publishing presents difficult topics explained schedules of reinforcement applications this segment is to Simply give you some examples of the different schedules of reinforcement we'll start with fixed interval fixed interval requires that you wait a specified period of time after completing the correct response before you'll be reinforced an example of fixed interval is used by someone who gets paid every 2 weeks at their job they have to show up to work and do all their assigned tasks but no matter how fast they work or how many tasks they complete they don't get paid until after the 2 weeks have transpired fixed interval schedules tend to produce overall response rates that are low and that increase as the time for reinforcement gets closer this is called a scalloped response pattern now an example of variable interval variable interval would be say when someone waits for an elevator anytime they have to wait an unpredictable amount of time they're on a variable interval schedule people press the elevator button over and over again when they're in a hurry but they only need to press the button once it doesn't matter how many times you press it again you just have to wait for it to arrive variable interval schedules produce steady rates of responding now for fixed ratio imagine you had a summer job where you stuffed envelopes and got paid for every 100 envelopes you stuffed when you get paid for a set number of items you complete or sell that's an example of a fixed ratio schedule fixed ratio schedules Produce High rates of responding that decline immediately after the reinforcer is received this is called a postreinforcement pause a classic example of a variable ratio schedule is known as the one-armed Bandit which is a slot machine you must pull the arm an unspecified number of times before you reinforced with a jackpot sometimes you can just put in a few quarters pull the arm once and win a big jackpot other times you pull and pull but still never win variable ratio schedules Produce High and steady rates of responding