This page is a component of the Glossary of the Dog Science, CBC
Dog Training Workshop, and an element of the Dog Science Network
Go to the index of the Glossary of Terms
Understanding Ratios and Schedules of Reinforcement
Let's say that a dog makes a given response from time to time. For the sake of this illustration, let's say that the response is that he barks at the school kids who walk past him on the sidewalk on their way to class. Barking is the response, then, and getting attention from the kids that stop to pet him is the reward which reinforces that response and, thereby, keeps it happening.
If the dog has to bark 20 times to get petted once, then, we say that he is on a 20 to 1 ratio of response to reinforcement. If he has to bark nine times to get petted once, then, we describe that as a 9 to 1 ratio.
Such ratios are said to comprise schedules of reinforcement.
If the dog gets rewarded for every response he makes, then, he is said to be on a schedule of continuous reinforcement.
When a very large percentage of responses are rewarded, that is said to constitute a dense schedule of reinforcement. When only a small percentage of the subject's responses are rewarded, he is said to be on a thin schedule.
Dense schedules tend to make the subject happy, active, and enthusiastic, which typically results in him making a great many responses. In contrast, thin schedules result in discouragement, unhappiness, and a marked reduction in the number of responses made.