Schedules of reinforcement are really important when it comes to changing how people behave. They decide when and how often rewards are given, which can greatly affect how fast someone learns and how long they keep doing a behavior.

Types of Schedules:

1. Continuous Reinforcement:

   • Here, every time someone does the desired action, they get a reward.
   • This helps them learn quickly, but if the rewards stop, they might also stop the behavior very fast.
   • Studies say that about 75% of people will stop the behavior soon after the rewards end.

2. Partial Reinforcement:

   • In this case, rewards are given sometimes but not all the time.
   • This makes the behavior stick around longer, even if the rewards aren't given all the time.
   • For example, in a variable ratio schedule, someone might win a dollar every 10 bets on average. Gamblers keep playing because they hope to win again, which keeps them engaged.

Statistics:

• Research shows that when behavior is rewarded on a variable ratio schedule, it lasts longer.
• About 70% of people keep doing the behavior even when the rewards stop, compared to only 30% for those on continuous reinforcement.

By changing these schedules, psychologists can help encourage and keep good behaviors in different situations.