What is the effect of partial reinforcement on a child’s learning outcomes?

Partial reinforcement occurs when a behavior is reinforced only some of the time, rather than every time it occurs. This method of reinforcement is particularly effective in making behaviors more resistant to extinction. When a child learns a behavior through partial reinforcement, they may not expect the reward with every instance of the behavior, which can lead to a stronger association with the behavior itself. As a result, even when reinforcement is not provided consistently, the child is likely to continue engaging in the behavior longer than if they had experienced continuous reinforcement.

In contrast, with continuous reinforcement, once the reinforcement stops, the behavior can quickly diminish because the child has learned to expect a reward every time. The unpredictability of rewards in partial reinforcement can create a sense of uncertainty, which encourages the child to persist in the behavior even when rewards are infrequent, thus fostering resilience in the learned behavior. This is why conditioning strategies that involve partial reinforcement can be particularly effective in long-term behavior change and maintaining skills over time.