What type of reinforcement schedule is applied when a waiter receives a tip for every customer served?

The scenario describes a fixed ratio reinforcement schedule, which is characterized by providing reinforcement after a specific number of responses or behaviors are exhibited. In this case, the waiter receives a tip every time a customer is served, meaning that each behavioral action (serving a customer) results in a consistent and predictable outcome (receiving a tip).

Since the reinforcement (the tip) is delivered after a set number of responses (each customer served), this aligns perfectly with the definition of a fixed ratio schedule. It emphasizes the relationship between the number of actions taken (serving customers) and the reward received (earning a tip), effectively motivating the waiter to continue serving customers consistently.

In contrast, other scheduling types like fixed interval, variable ratio, and variable interval either depend on the passage of time or use unpredictable patterns that do not match the scenario described. In this case, understanding the characteristics of these different schedules helps clarify why the fixed ratio schedule is the correct classification.