Intermittent Reinforcement is More Effective [Archive.org URL]

Intermittent “extras” are more powerful than constant bonuses that are predictable. Say that a manager wants to reward employees. A good way to do it is with a lottery system. You could set it up so one would have to maintain some level of performance to be eligible for the lottery. The hope of entering the lottery will keep workers going at a higher level of performance than just expecting the same old check each week. A variable interval schedule is effective at keeping steady performance. It works with pigeons, and it works with humans.

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