Continuous reinforcement
Continuous reinforcement (CRF) is a schedule in which every occurrence of the target behavior is reinforced.
On continuous reinforcement, each correct or target response is followed by the reinforcer. It is the same as a fixed ratio 1 (FR 1) schedule. It is most useful when a behavior is first being taught, because the learner experiences the connection between the response and the reinforcer as clearly and often as possible.
CRF has drawbacks over the long term. The client may satiate quickly, especially with edible reinforcers. Behavior learned on CRF tends to stop quickly once reinforcement stops, partly because the change from "every time" to "never" is easy to detect. It is also hard to maintain in everyday settings, since teachers and caregivers rarely reinforce every response. For these reasons, once a skill is established, the supervisor usually thins reinforcement to an intermittent schedule.
For RBTs, implementing CRF correctly means reinforcing every target response and only target responses, without delay. If the plan calls for continuous reinforcement of an appropriate replacement behavior, such as asking for a break, every appropriate request should be honored during that phase, because missing them may push the client back to problem behavior.
Example and non-example
| Example | During the first sessions of teaching a child to mand for bubbles, the RBT blows bubbles every time the child says "bubbles". |
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| Non-example | Giving a token after every fourth correct response is a fixed ratio 4 schedule, an intermittent schedule. |
Don't confuse it with
| Intermittent reinforcement | Continuous reinforcement reinforces every response; intermittent reinforcement reinforces only some. |
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| Fixed ratio | Continuous reinforcement is FR 1; other fixed ratio schedules require more than one response per reinforcer. |
Test yourself
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Question 1A client is learning a brand-new skill, and the plan says to reinforce every correct response. Which schedule of reinforcement is this?
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B: Continuous reinforcement. Reinforcing every occurrence of the target response is continuous reinforcement (CRF), sometimes written FR 1. It is commonly used when a skill is first being taught.
- A: A variable ratio schedule reinforces after an unpredictable number of responses, not after every one.
- C: A fixed interval schedule reinforces the first response after a set amount of time has passed.
- D: Intermittent reinforcement means only some responses are reinforced, not every one.
Task C.1 · 40-hour curriculum section A
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Question 2Why do plans usually call for continuous reinforcement when a skill is first being taught?
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B: It tends to produce the fastest learning of a new behavior.. Reinforcing every correct response makes the contingency clear and is generally best for acquiring a new behavior. Once the behavior is established, the supervisor usually plans to thin to an intermittent schedule.
- A: Behavior reinforced on intermittent schedules is usually more resistant to extinction than behavior reinforced every time.
- C: Because every response is reinforced, continuous reinforcement uses more reinforcers and can bring on satiation sooner.
- D: Continuous reinforcement uses more reinforcers than intermittent schedules, not fewer.
Task C.1 · 40-hour curriculum section A
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Question 3Once a skill is well established, a supervisor plans to move from reinforcing every response to reinforcing only some responses. What is one main reason?
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D: Behavior on intermittent schedules tends to keep occurring longer when reinforcement stops.. Behavior maintained on intermittent schedules is usually more resistant to extinction, and thinner schedules are closer to what the client will meet in natural settings. That is why schedules are thinned after acquisition.
- A: Continuous reinforcement, not intermittent, usually produces the fastest acquisition.
- B: On any reinforcement schedule, the reinforcer still depends on the behavior.
- C: No schedule guarantees that an extinction burst will never occur.
Task C.1 · 40-hour curriculum section A
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On the RBT exam
This term belongs to task C.1 Positive and negative reinforcement in content area C, Behavior Acquisition, which is 19 of the 75 scored questions.