Rule-governed versus contingency-governed behavior in a self-control task: effects of changes in contingencies

Rule-governed behavior is typically acquired faster than contingency-governed behavior but is less sensitive than contingency-governed behavior to unverbalized contingency changes. The present study investigated these relationships in a computer task frequently used to study human self-control. Instructions for one group of participants contained a hint about how to maximize long-term reinforcement; the other group performed the task without the hint. Participants given the hint came closer to maximizing reinforcement in the long term, but their behavior was less sensitive to an unsignaled contingency change than that of those not given the hint. The study shows that, like other complex behaviors, self-control may be contingency-governed or rule-governed.