Neil, a digital painter at an animation company, is given a monthly target of 15 projects. He completes 10 or 20 projects a month. He receives his monthly bonus as long as he manages to complete an average of 15 projects. In the context of reinforcement theory of motivation, which of the following intermittent reinforcement schedules does this scenario best illustrate?

A variable ratio reinforcement schedule

Explanation:

In operant conditioning, there are four different types of reinforcement schedules. They are:

1. Fixed-ratio schedule.

2. Fixed-interval schedule.

3. Variable-ratio schedule.

4. Variable-interval schedule.

Variable-ratio reinforcement schedule: In operant conditioning, the variable-ratio schedule is defined as a reinforcement schedule in which a particular response is being reinforced after a non-predictable number of responses. It creates a high and steady rate of responding. The variable-ratio reinforcement schedule is most resistant to extinction as compared to all other reinforcement schedules.

Example: Lottery games.

In the question above, the intermittent reinforcement schedule that best illustrate the given scenario is the variable-ratio reinforcement schedule.