Intermittent reinforcement is a reinforcement schedule in which rewards are delivered only after unpredictable intervals of time (variable-ratio/variable-interval) or numbers of responses (partial reinforcement), rather than after every occurrence. It produces behavior patterns that are highly resistant to extinction compared to continuous reinforcement. The concept was developed within Skinner's operant conditioning framework and persists through academic teaching, behavioral research literature, and applied practice in animal training and organizational psychology. [formal: intermittent reinforcement | substrate: behavior | horizon: a life | explicit: no | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
intermittent reinforcement
Intermittent reinforcement is a reinforcement schedule in which rewards are delivered only after unpredictable intervals of time (variable-ratio/variable-interval) or numbers of responses (partial reinforcement), rather than after every oc…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made concept from behavioral psychology (Skinner's operant conditioning) describing a schedule where rewards are delivered after unpredictable intervals or numbers of responses, creating durable behavior patterns resistant to extinction.
Names and aliases
- intermittent reinforcementen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrpc9vb706tdd1nlp7i3q4mdINSTANCE_OF →
Intermittent reinforcement is a specific kind of reinforcement where rewards are delivered unpredictably (partial/intermittent vs continuous). Law 9 INSTANCE_OF: a competent speaker would call intermittent reinforcement 'a type of reinforcement' — specifically, one delivered on an unpredictable schedule rather than every time.
- cmrpc9vb706tdd1nlp7i3q4mdDEPENDS_ON →
Remove reinforcement — does intermittent reinforcement stop operating? Yes. Intermittent reinforcement is a schedule of reinforcement; without the concept of reinforcement itself, the intermittent variant has no operation. The removal test passes.
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Record identity
- Created
- Aug 6, 2026, 4:28 AM UTC
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- 124b2ce3b9b7384027177f3dc0c8826437b5e44e339193c2fc88ed136e4517ba