Define an intermittent reinforcement schedule.

• A. Reinforcement delivered after every response
• B. Reinforcement delivered randomly with no schedule
• C. Reinforcement delivered on a non-continuous or irregular schedule
• D. Reinforcement never given

Answer: (C)

Intermittent reinforcement schedules mean reinforcing a behavior only some of the time, not after every response. Rather than a guaranteed consequence each time, reinforcement follows a pattern or rule that is non-continuous or irregular. This helps explain why the behavior sometimes persists even when reinforcement isn’t always given, and why it can take longer to learn but be more resistant to extinction. Examples include fixed or variable number of responses (fixed ratio, variable ratio) and fixed or variable time intervals (fixed interval, variable interval). The description that matches intermittent reinforcement is reinforcement delivered on a non-continuous or irregular schedule. Descriptions that imply reinforcement after every response, no recognizable pattern, or no reinforcement at all do not fit this concept.