What effect does partial reinforcement generally have on persistence of behavior?

Partial reinforcement refers to a schedule of reinforcement in which a behavior is rewarded only some of the time, rather than consistently. This approach can lead to greater persistence in behavior for several reasons. When individuals experience intermittent rewards, they may remain motivated to continue the behavior, as they learn that a reward could be forthcoming after an indeterminate amount of effort. This unpredictability creates a strong drive to engage in the behavior for a longer period, as individuals become conditioned to endure the absence of immediate reinforcement while still believing that rewards will manifest eventually.

In contrast, if a behavior were reinforced consistently, the individual may become satiated or lose interest, leading to a decrease in the persistence of that behavior over time. Therefore, the behavior maintained by partial reinforcement is typically more resilient and resistant to extinction than behaviors that receive continuous reinforcement, which leads to the conclusion that partial reinforcement increases persistence of behavior.