If I had paid attention in my BA 390 class, I could have spouted off the reward cycles that bosses use to entice their employees. What I do remember is the long-standing argument: Reward vs. Recognition. I think it’s important to have both, and to use them in congruence with all the different reinforcement schedules. Ahh! I knew if I rambled enough, I’d remember.
Broken down based on time:
Fixed Interval – A reward that’s given after a set period of time.
Variable Interval – A reward that’s given randomly with passage of time.
Broken down based on behavior:
Fixed Ratio – A reward that’s based on behaviors after a set period of time.
Variable Ratio – A reward that’s given randomly after exhibition of behaviors.
What I took from this was that when using all of these methods, the employee child no longer feels as if their feedback comes from a pre-processed place where they can cheat their way to rewards (at least not all the rewards). It’s more well-rounded and all-encompassing, such that they feel as if they’re being rewarded for being the best they can be and not just for their good behavior.
Of course, this is most likely exhausting to put into practice, but it’s a good framework to consider when rewarding people. If it works with hungover interns, I can’t see why it wouldn’t work with children.