The plan for maintenance includes which approaches?

• A. Using continuous reinforcement only throughout training.
• B. Planning for intermittent reinforcement and presenting the task without formal programming after mastery.
• C. After mastery, immediately remove reinforcement completely.
• D. Not adjusting reinforcement schedules after mastery.

Answer: (B)

In maintenance, the goal is to keep the skill usable in everyday settings after training ends. The most effective approach is to plan for intermittent reinforcement and to ease out formal programming once mastery is achieved. Continuous reinforcement during initial learning helps the behavior come in quickly, but it creates a structure that can fall apart once reinforcement becomes scarce. By thinning the reinforcement schedule and using intermittent reinforcement, the behavior becomes more resistant to extinction and more likely to persist outside the training context. Presenting the task without formal programming after mastery means stepping back from scheduled prompts and explicit reinforcement, allowing natural environment consequences and less frequent reinforcement to sustain the behavior. This combination supports durable performance in real life. In contrast, keeping continuous reinforcement during maintenance can create dependency and limit generalization; removing reinforcement entirely right after mastery can lead to extinction; and not adjusting reinforcement schedules misses the opportunity to foster long-term durability.