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Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE
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Published on: May 14, 2019

The effects of stating contingency-specifying stimuli on compliance in children

S D Hupp, D Reitman

    The Analysis of Verbal Behavior
    |April 6, 2012
    PubMed

    Insights

    Understanding child compliance requires considering how instructions are presented. Immediate instructions (IOR) generally yield better compliance than delayed ones (DOR), especially when introduced first.

    Area of Science:

    • Behavioral Psychology
    • Child Development

    Background:

    • Distinguishing between discriminative and function-altering properties of contingency-specifying stimuli (CSS) is crucial for understanding behavior.
    • Child compliance research often simplifies the complexities of behavioral responses to instructions.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the heuristic value of differentiating CSS properties in conceptualizing child compliance.
    • To examine the impact of immediate (IOR) versus delayed (DOR) response opportunities on child compliance.
    • To assess the influence of condition presentation sequence on compliance.

    Main Methods:

    • Two groups of children, classified as "compliant" and "noncompliant," participated.
    • Children were instructed to place blocks in a box under IOR and DOR conditions.
    • The sequence of IOR and DOR condition presentation was manipulated.

    Main Results:

    • A majority of children showed higher compliance in the IOR condition compared to the DOR condition.
    • The presentation sequence significantly influenced compliance rates.
    • Children in the DOR-first sequence demonstrated greater compliance in the IOR condition than in the DOR condition.

    Conclusions:

    • The distinction between discriminative and function-altering CSS properties offers valuable insights into child compliance.
    • The order in which conditions are presented can substantially affect compliance outcomes, potentially confounding previous research.
    • Future studies should carefully consider the impact of presentation sequence in compliance research.

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