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Updated: Sep 14, 2025

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE

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Preliminary Analysis of Rule Explicitness on Instructional Control in Immediate and Delayed Contingencies.

Jesús Alonso-Vega¹, Viktória Fellingerová¹, Gladis-Lee Pereira¹

¹Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Department of Psychology, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Building A, C. Tajo, Villaviciosa de Odón, 28670 Madrid, Spain.

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior

|July 25, 2025

Summary

Explicit rules significantly improve instructional control over behavior, especially when dealing with delayed consequences. This study explores how rule explicitness impacts behavior under immediate and delayed reinforcement schedules.

Keywords:

Instructional control Long-term contingencies Rule-governed behavior Translational analysis Verbal behavior

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Last Updated: Sep 14, 2025

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE

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Published on: May 14, 2019

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

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Published on: June 5, 2016

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Published on: May 14, 2014

Area of Science:

Behavioral Psychology
Cognitive Science
Decision Making

Background:

Delayed reinforcers often lead to suboptimal outcomes.
Rules can guide behavior to achieve long-term goals.
Understanding rule explicitness is key to effective behavioral control.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how varying levels of rule explicitness influence instructional control.
To analyze the impact of explicit versus implicit rules on behavior under immediate and delayed contingencies.
To explore the role of verbal antecedent control in rule-governed behavior.

Main Methods:

Four studies were conducted to examine rule explicitness and its effect on behavior.
A baseline of behavior under immediate contingencies was established.
Implicit and explicit rules were introduced to assess their impact on responses to delayed contingencies.

Main Results:

An implicit rule showed minimal impact on behavioral patterns.
An explicit rule substantially shifted behavior towards long-term contingencies for most participants.
Explicit rules demonstrated greater effectiveness in influencing behavior, though not universally consistent.

Conclusions:

Explicit rules are more effective in guiding behavior, particularly in the context of delayed outcomes.
The effectiveness of explicit rules can vary among individuals.
Further research is needed to fully understand immediate and delayed contingencies in rule-governed behavior.