Order of Partial and Continuous Reinforcement Schedules in Verbal Choice Behavior

Abstract

Four groups of 16 students were given 120 acquisition trials and 60 extinction trials in a verbal choice task. One group was given 120 continuously reinforced trials, a second group was given 120 partially reinforced trials, a third group was given 60 partially reinforced trials followed by 60 continuously reinforced trials, and a fourth group was given 60 continuously reinforced trials followed by 60 partially reinforced trials. Subjects given partial reinforcement after continuous reinforcement were as resistant to extinction as subjects given partial reinforcement only, and both groups were more resistant to extinction than subjects given continuous reinforcement only. Subjects trained with the partial-continuous order of reinforcement schedules, however, were no more resistant to extinction than subjects trained with continuous reinforcement only.