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Evocative and function-altering effects of contingency-specifiying stimuli

K N Mistr, S S Glenn

    The Analysis of Verbal Behavior
    |April 6, 2012
    PubMed

    Insights

    Contingency-specifying stimuli (CSSs) influenced 4-year-olds' compliance. Immediate consequences and deadlines were most effective when response opportunities were immediate, while immediate consequences alone worked best for delayed opportunities.

    Area of Science:

    • Behavioral Psychology
    • Child Development

    Background:

    • Contingency-specifying stimuli (CSSs) are crucial in shaping behavior.
    • Understanding the distinct functions (evocative vs. function-altering) of CSSs is important for behavioral analysis.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate how different forms of CSSs affect compliance in 4-year-old children.
    • To differentiate the evocative and function-altering roles of CSSs in this age group.

    Main Methods:

    • Children received daily CSSs varying in deadline (immediate/delayed) and consequence type (immediate/delayed).
    • The study manipulated the presence and timing of deadlines and consequences.

    Main Results:

    • Immediate deadlines and consequences reliably controlled behavior when response opportunities were immediate.
    • Deadlines alone influenced behavior, even without specified consequences.
    • When response opportunities were delayed, CSSs were less effective, with immediate consequences and no deadline being most impactful.

    Conclusions:

    • CSSs function as both evocative and function-altering stimuli.
    • Deadlines may act as learned aversive conditions, influencing compliance.
    • The timing of response opportunities significantly moderates the effectiveness of CSSs.

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