The described pattern of respondinga high steady rate followed by a postreinforcement pauseis a hallmark characteristic of a Fixed Ratio FR schedule of reinforcement On an FR schedule reinforcement is delivered after a fixed number of responses Learners often complete the required responses quickly receive reinforcement then take a brief break postreinforcement pause before beginning the next ratio requirement This pattern is sometimes referred to as a scallop effect if viewed over a longer period though the text emphasizes the high steady rates with the post reinforcement pause Variable Interval VI schedules produce a moderate steady rate of responding with little or no postreinforcement pause Variable Ratio VR schedules produce high steady rates of responding with no postreinforcement pause as the uncertainty of when reinforcement will occur encourages continuous responding Fixed Interval FI schedules typically produce a scalloped pattern where responding increases as the end of the interval approaches followed by a pause after reinforcement but the rate is not a high steady rate until the end of the interval