Uninstructed human responding: Sensitivity of low-rate performance to schedule contingencies - PubMed (original) (raw)

Uninstructed human responding: Sensitivity of low-rate performance to schedule contingencies

E Shimoff et al. J Exp Anal Behav. 1981 Sep.

Abstract

College students' presses on a telegraph key occasionally turned on a light in the presence of which button presses produced points later exchangeable for money. Initially, responding was maintained by low-rate contingencies superimposed on either random-interval or random-ratio schedules. Later, the low-rate contingencies were relaxed. Low-rate key pressing had been established for some students by shaping and for others by demonstration and written instructions. After the low-rate contingencies were relaxed, higher response rates generally did not increase point earnings with random-interval scheduling, but did so with random-ratio scheduling. In both cases, shaped responding usually increased, and instructed responding usually continued at an unchanged low rate. The insensitivity of instructed responding typically occurred despite contact with the contingencies. The differential sensitivity to schedule contingencies of shaped responding relative to instructed responding is consistent with the different properties of contingency-governed and rule-governed behavior and is not rate-dependent.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Sep;12(5):701-12 - PubMed
    1. J Exp Anal Behav. 1972 Mar;17(2):213-9 - PubMed
    1. J Exp Anal Behav. 1963 Oct;6:607-16 - PubMed
    1. J Exp Anal Behav. 1978 Mar;29(2):161-6 - PubMed
    1. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 May;12(3):349-73 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources