What is Continuous Reinforcement best used for?

Continuous reinforcement is best used for establishing a new behavior. This approach involves providing a reward every time the desired behavior occurs, which helps to strengthen the association between the behavior and the positive outcome. By consistently reinforcing the new behavior, learners quickly understand what is expected of them and are more likely to repeat that behavior in the future. This method is particularly effective during the initial stages of learning when the goal is to promote the acquisition of a new skill or response.

Once the new behavior has been established, different reinforcement strategies, such as intermittent reinforcement, may be employed to maintain the behavior over time. Therefore, while continuous reinforcement is excellent for kick-starting new learning, maintaining established behaviors typically requires a different approach.