The negative reinforcing functions of nonconformity

Area of Science:

• Behavioral psychology
• Instrumental conditioning
• Social psychology

Background:

• Neal Miller's "extension of liberalized S-R theory" provides a framework for understanding learned behaviors.
• Instrumental escape conditioning explores how organisms learn to avoid aversive stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate instrumental response learning where reinforcement is escaping nonconformity.
• To examine the effects of intermittent nonconformity and delayed escape on response acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments (N=108) utilized an instrumental escape conditioning paradigm.
• Participants learned a response reinforced by escaping nonconformist situations.
• Varied percentage of nonconformity trials and delay of escape opportunity.

Main Results:

• Response speed was a function of the percentage of nonconformity trials (p <.001).
• Response acquisition was an inverse function of escape delay (p <.001).

Conclusions:

• Learned instrumental responses can be reinforced by escaping nonconformity.
• Findings align with established principles of delay of reinforcement and intermittent schedules in escape conditioning.