Intermittent Schedules Of Reinforcement Are Necessary To

Ever wonder why that slot machine at the casino is so darn alluring? Or why your dog sometimes jumps on you even though you’ve (mostly) trained him not to? It’s not some nefarious conspiracy, or even pure stubbornness. It's all about the magic – or, should we say, the science – of intermittent reinforcement.

Okay, okay, the term sounds super academic. But trust me, the concept is as everyday as your morning coffee. Imagine this: you train your cat, Mittens, to sit. You give her a treat every single time she sits. Great! Mittens is a sitting superstar! She’s sitting on command, sitting for fun, sitting in her sleep (probably). But then, one day, you forget the treats. Or you run out. Or you're just feeling…lazy. Mittens sits…and nothing. Suddenly, sitting isn’t so appealing anymore. Mittens, the sitting superstar, becomes Mittens, the disdainful observer of human foibles.

That’s because Mittens was on what we call a continuous reinforcement schedule. Get it? Every behavior, every reward. Predictable. And, dare we say…a little boring?

Now, picture a different scenario. You’re still training Mittens, but this time, you’re a bit more…erratic. Sometimes she gets a treat for sitting, sometimes just a scratch behind the ears, sometimes a verbal “Good kitty!”, and sometimes…nothing. She’s sitting, she's not quite sure what she's going to get. Is it the salmon flavored treat? A head rub? Approval? or nothing at all?

This, my friends, is the heart of intermittent reinforcement. And it’s powerful stuff. It’s what makes a behavior more resistant to extinction – that fancy word for “fading away when the rewards stop.”

Think about that slot machine again. People aren’t winning every time they pull the lever, are they? No way! They might win a little, they might win a lot, and most of the time they win absolutely nothing. But that possibility, that chance of hitting the jackpot, is what keeps them pulling, and pulling, and pulling. Those unpredictable wins are reinforcing the behavior of playing the slots, making it incredibly difficult to stop. It's the "maybe I will" that is more powerful than "Yes, I will".

The Surprising Benefits

But intermittent reinforcement isn't just about casinos and cat training. It's all over the place. Think about fishing. You don't catch a fish with every cast, but that potential big one keeps you coming back to the river. Or maybe you know someone who is always checking their phone for notifications. They don't get a message every time, but that anticipation that maybe they'll get that important email, or like on their new photo, keeps them constantly checking.

And here’s a heartwarming twist. Sometimes, the most powerful reinforcers aren’t tangible at all. A child who tries to tell a joke. Sometimes everyone laughs, sometimes no one even smiles. But that chance of getting a laugh, of getting attention, is what makes them keep trying.

It’s that glimmer of hope, that unpredictable reward, that keeps us going. It's the human need for the positive interaction that trumps the fear of not getting any.

The Imperfect Parent

Even parenting benefits from a dash of intermittency. You can’t, and shouldn't, shower your child with praise and rewards every second of every day. It's exhausting! And, frankly, it can be counterproductive. Sometimes, your kid gets praise for cleaning their room. Sometimes they just get a hug. Sometimes they get a "thanks for your effort!". Sometimes they get a quiet smile from Mom or Dad which signals quiet approval. Sometimes, there's no comment at all. They don’t know what to expect. But they will continue to do the task, just because of the possibility of some form of praise.

And that's okay. In fact, it's ideal. Because real life isn’t a continuous reward schedule. It’s full of surprises, disappointments, and everything in between. By using intermittent reinforcement, we're helping our kids (and ourselves) develop the resilience to keep going even when the rewards aren't immediate or guaranteed.

So, next time you see someone endlessly refreshing their social media feed, or that dog jumping on everyone, remember the power of intermittent reinforcement. It's a bit like life itself: unpredictable, sometimes frustrating, but always full of the possibility of a rewarding surprise.