At Debrelas, a cosmetics manufacturing company, the salespeople are eligible for quarterly bonuses only if they meet their sales target for each month in that particular quarter. In the context of reinforcement theory of motivation, which of the following intermittent reinforcement schedules does this scenario best illustrate?

A) A fixed ratio reinforcement scheduleB) A fixed interval reinforcement scheduleC) A variable interval reinforcement scheduleD) A variable ratio reinforcement schedule

The correct answer is A. A fixed ratio reinforcement schedule

Explanation:

When we perform an operant conditioning following a fixed interval reinforcement program, we administer to the subject the reinforcing stimulus only when a certain time has elapsed since the last presentation of the reinforcement, that is, with a constant time interval, for example, every minute. If the time interval is not constant but variable, that is once every minute, another every three, another every two, ..., then we have a variable interval reinforcement program.

If we want to create an operant behavior in a subject, we can administer the reinforcing stimulus only when the subject performs a certain number of times the behavior in question, for example every three times; in that case we have a fixed rate reinforcement program. If we prefer to administer the reinforcement when the subject performs a variable number of behaviors (for example, sometimes every three behaviors, sometimes every two, sometimes every four) we have a variable rate reinforcement program.