Shaquille is a professional basketball player. He never knows for sure which of his shots will result in a basket, but the more shots he takes the more baskets he makes. In this example, Shaquille's shooting is being reinforced on:_______.a. a fixed-ratio scheduleb. a fixed-interval schedulec. a variable-ratio scheduled. a variable-interval schedule

Psychologist B. F. Skinner developed operant conditioning, which is a method of teaching someone a desired behavior by reinforcing that behavior either positively or negatively. A positive reinforcer happens when something is added to increase the probability of a behavior. A negative one happens when something is removed to increase the probability of a behavior. The reinforcer is presented ONLY if the subject responds with the targeted behavior, but that does not mean every time the subject responds he will receive reinforcement.

A variable-ratio schedule is a schedule of reinforcement in which the person is not rewarded every time. As a matter a fact, behavior is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses. Because it is unpredictable, people are often more persistent, since they know they will eventually get the reward. That is the case with Shaquille. The basket is the reinforcement of his shots, but he does not know when he will make them. So he tries harder.