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[Differential effects of instructions and consequences on human conditional discrimination performance]
Héctor Martínez Sánchez1, Gerardo Ortiz Rueda, Adriana González Zepeda
1Universidad de Guadalajara, México. hectorm@cencar.udg.mx
Psicothema
|February 14, 2007
Summary
Human behavior is strongly influenced by instructions, often overriding environmental feedback. This study examined how true or false instructions and different feedback timings affect learning in conditional discrimination tasks.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral psychology
- Cognitive science
- Human learning
Background:
- Understanding the interplay between instructions and feedback is crucial for designing effective learning environments.
- Previous research suggests both can influence behavior, but their differential impact requires further investigation.
- Matching-to-sample procedures offer a controlled method to study these effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distinct behavioral effects of instructions (true vs. false) and feedback (trial-by-trial vs. delayed) in a matching-to-sample task.
- To determine the extent to which instructional control overrides contingency control in human participants.
- To identify optimal procedures for discerning the independent effects of instructions and feedback.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with college students (N=40 total).
- Participants completed matching-to-sample tasks under varying conditions of instruction type (true/false) and feedback schedule (immediate/delayed).
- Feedback schedules were manipulated within and between participants across different phases of the study.
Main Results:
- Both instructions and feedback exhibited historical effects, influencing subsequent behavior.
- A majority of participants showed strong adherence to instructions, even when they contradicted the task contingencies.
- Instructional control frequently superseded control exerted by the environmental contingencies.
Conclusions:
- The findings highlight the significant power of instructions in shaping human behavior, often dominating environmental feedback.
- Conditional discrimination tasks provide a valuable framework for isolating and analyzing the effects of instructions and feedback.
- The study's methodology can be adapted to further explore the nuances of instructional and feedback control in learning.
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