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Rule-governed behavior and sensitivity to changing consequences of responding
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|May 1, 1986
Summary
Instructions significantly influenced human behavior in a reinforcement learning task, demonstrating that rule-following contingencies can override programmed consequences, impacting performance in complex environments.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Reinforcement Learning
Background:
- Understanding how explicit instructions interact with programmed reinforcement schedules is crucial for designing effective behavioral interventions.
- Previous research indicates that verbal instructions can alter response patterns, but their precise relationship with schedule-controlled behavior requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of different instructional conditions on human performance under a multiple fixed-ratio/differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate schedule.
- To differentiate the effects of instructions on initial contact with programmed consequences versus the establishment of independent rule-following contingencies.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Assessed four instructional conditions (minimal, rapid, slow, mixed) using between-subject comparisons in a matrix navigation task.
- Experiment 2: Examined the withdrawal of instructional cues ('Go Fast,' 'Go Slow' lights) to isolate the effects of programmed consequences versus rule-following.
Main Results:
- Instructions significantly altered how participants engaged with the programmed consequences, thereby shaping their performance.
- Rule-following contingencies, established by instructions, sometimes maintained responding even when programmed consequences would predict different behavior, especially after instruction withdrawal.
Conclusions:
- Explicit instructions can create added contingencies for rule-following that exert control over behavior independently of programmed reinforcement schedules.
- The interplay between instructional control and schedule-controlled behavior is complex, with rule-following playing a significant role in determining overall performance outcomes.
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