Asked by Tiffany Ferguson on May 31, 2024

verifed

Verified

Paul and Michael sell magazine subscriptions by telephone.Paul is paid $1.00 for every five calls he makes,while Michael is paid $1.00 for every subscription he sells,regardless of the number of calls he makes.Paul's telephoning is reinforced on a ________ schedule,whereas Michael's is reinforced on a ________ schedule.

A) variable-ratio;fixed-ratio
B) fixed-ratio;variable-ratio
C) fixed-ratio;variable-interval
D) fixed-interval;variable-ratio

Magazine Subscriptions

The process of paying in advance to receive regular issues of a magazine over a specified period.

Reinforced

In behavioral psychology, refers to the strengthening of a behavior pattern by reinforcement, such as rewards or punishments, which increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated.

Schedule

A plan that gives a list of events or tasks and the times at which each one should happen or be done.

  • Describe the variances among reinforcement schedules (fixed-ratio, variable-ratio, fixed-interval, variable-interval) and their implications on behavior.
verifed

Verified Answer

RC
Roanna CanelaJun 04, 2024
Final Answer :
B
Explanation :
Paul's reinforcement schedule is based on the number of calls he makes, which is a fixed-ratio schedule. He receives a reward (payment) after every five calls, regardless of whether or not he actually sells any subscriptions.

Michael's reinforcement schedule is based on the number of subscriptions he sells, which is a variable-ratio schedule. He may make many calls before he sells a subscription, but once he does, he receives a reward (payment) for that sale. The ratio (number of calls to sales) varies, but the reward (payment) remains the same.