On the first trial, a rat in a Skinner box is reinforced for the first bar press it makes after 50 seconds have elapsed. On the second trial, the first bar press after 70 seconds is reinforced. Although it varies from trial to trial, the average works out to one reinforcer every 60 seconds. The rat is on a schedule of reinforcement.

Around the third week of a college class, a professor decides she’s had enough, is tired of dealing with bureaucracies, and wants out. so one day, instead of coming to class, she flies to tahiti and sells souvenirs on the beach. if this happened, the college would simply assign a substitute to finish the course. what does this tell you about the nature of the authority wielded by a professor?