For many students, grades can be so powerful as reinforcers that they undermine any natural curiosity which they possess. Baseline data You can begin an analysis of your own behaviors by noting what happens over a set amount of time. You can also pay attention to those times when you did get down to study. This is all baseline data. Now we want to explore what will make a difference, what will get you to your schoolwork sooner and keep you going longer so that you can produce the kind of quality work of which you are capable as well as have the kind of success you want.
Exams are typically on an interval schedule, for example.
You know when they are happening. If you put your time into your studies and really learn the material well, you get your reward when the grade comes back. Because the exam time is set in advance, we refer to this as a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement. A pop quiz, on the other hand, would be on a variable interval schedule. You never know exactly when it will be coming.