Human time-based schedule performance: Exploring interactions between instructions and response-reinforcer contiguity.

Citation

Keenan, M., & Kerr, K. P. (2002). Human time-based schedule performance: Exploring interactions between instructions and response-reinforcer contiguity. The Behavior Analyst Today, 3(3), 342-361.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0099990

Abstract

Spontaneous regulation of human behavior on a simple time-based mixed schedule of reinforcement was studied as a function of instructions and response-reinforcer contiguity. Seventeen subjects were exposed to a mixed fixed-interval (F1) 10 s schedule (Condition A) and a conjunctive fixed-time 10 s fixed ratio 1 (Condition B) schedule of reinforcement using either an ABAB or a BABA design across 5 sessions. One of three instructional categories were employed (normal, ratio, and interval instructions) on a simple button pressing task. Subjects either produced a high rate of responding with short postreinforcement pauses (PRPs), a high rate of responding decreasing to a low rate with long PRPs, or a low rate of responding with long PRPs. Evidence of spontaneous regulation in terms of consistent differential responding across components was displayed only under interval instructions. These results highlight the interaction of instructions with the role of response-reinforcer contiguity in controlling spontaneous regulation of human performance on simple time-based schedules of reinforcement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Unique Identifier

2014-44009-014

Title

Human time-based schedule performance: Exploring interactions between instructions and response-reinforcer contiguity.

Publication Date

2002

Language

English

Author Identifier

Keenan, Mickey; Kerr, Ken P.

Email

Keenan, Mickey: m.keenan@ulst.ac.uk

Correspondence Address

Keenan, Mickey: School of Psychology, University of Ulster at Coleraine, Cromore Road, County L’Derry, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, BT52 ISA, m.keenan@ulst.ac.uk

Affiliation

Keenan, Mickey: University of Ulster at Coleraine, Coleraine, Northern Ireland

Kerr, Ken P.: Saplings Model of Education, Milltown, Ireland

Source

The Behavior Analyst Today, Vol 3(3), 2002, 342-361.

NLM Title Abbreviation

Behav Anal Today

ISSN

1539-4352(Electronic)

Other Serial Titles

Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice

Publisher

US: Joseph D. Cautilli

Other Publishers

US: American Psychological Association

Format Covered

Electronic

Publication Type

Journal; Peer Reviewed Journal

Document Type

Journal Article

Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0099990

Keywords

time-based schedule performance; response-reinforcer contiguity; human behavior; behavior analysis

Index Terms

*Reinforcement Schedules; *Social Behavior; Behavior Analysis

PsycINFO Classification

2300 Human Experimental Psychology

Population Group

Human

Age Group

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)

Location

Ireland

Methodology

Empirical Study; Quantitative Study

Tests and Measures

Simple Button Pressing Task

Release Date

20141222 (PsycINFO); 20141222 (PsycARTICLES)

References

Number of Citations: 33, Number of Citations Displayed: 33

• Baer, R. A., Tishelman, A. C., Degler, J. D., Osnes, P. G., et al. (1992). Effects of self- vs. experimenter-selection of rewards on classroom behavior in young children. Education and Treatment of Children, 15(1), 1-14.
• Barnes, D., & Keenan, M. (1989). Instructed human fixed-interval performance: The effects of the experimental setting. The Psychological Record, 39(3), 351-364.
• Barnes, D., & Keenan, M. (1994). Response-reinforcer contiguity and human performance on simple time-based reinforcement schedules. The Psychological Record, 44(1), 63-90.
• Baron, A., & Galizio, M. (1983). Instructional control of human operant behavior. The Psychological Record, 33(4), 495-520.
• Baron, A., Kaufman, A., & Stauber, K. A. (1969). Effects of instructions and reinforcement-feedback on human operant behavior maintained by fixed-interval reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 12(5), 701-712. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1969.12-701
• Baron, A., & Leinenweber, A. (1994). Molecular and molar analyses of fixed-interval performance. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 61(1), 11-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1994.61-11
• Belke, T. W., Pierce, W. D., & Powell, R. A. (1989). Determinants of choice for pigeons and humans on concurrent-chains schedules of reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 52(2), 97-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1989.52-97
• Bentall, R. P., & Lowe, C. F. (1987). The role of verbal behavior in human learning: III. Instructional effects in children. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 47(2), 177-190. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1987.47-177
• Buskist, W. F., Bennett, R. H., & Miller, H. L. (1981). Effects of instructional constraints on human fixed-interval performance. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 35(2), 217-225. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1981.35-217
• Catania, A. C. (1970). Reinforcement schedules and psychophysical judgements: A study of some temporal properties of behavior. In W. N. Schoenfeld, (Ed.), The theory of reinforcement schedules (pp. 1-42). New York: Appleton-Century Crofts.
• Darcheville, J. C., Rivière, V., & Wearden, J. H. (1993). Fixed-interval performance and self-control in infants. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 60(2), 239-254. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1993.60-239
• Davey, G. C. L. (1987). Animal learning and conditioning. London: Macmillan Education.
• Galizio, M. (1979). Contingency-shaped and rule-governed behavior: Instructional control of human loss avoidance. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 31(1), 53-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1979.31-53
• Hayes, S. C., Brownstein, A. J., Zettle, R. D., Rosenfarb, I., & Korn, Z. (1986). Rule-governed behavior and sensitivity to changing consequences of responding. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 45(3), 237-256. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1986.45-237
• Hayes, S. C., & Wolf, M. R. (1984). Cues, consequences and therapeutic talk: Effects of social context and coping statements on pain. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 22(4), 385-392. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(84)90081-0
• Hyten, C., & Madden, G. J. (1993). The scallop in human fixed-interval research: A review of problems with data description. The Psychological Record, 43(3), 471-500.
• Keenan, M., & Leslie, J. C. (1984). Separating response dependency and response-reinforcer contiguity within a recycling conjunctive schedule. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 41(2), 203-210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1984.41-203
• Keenan, M., & Leslie, J. C. (1986). Varying response-reinforcer contiguity in a recycling conjunctive schedule. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 45(3), 317-332. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1986.45-317
• Keenan, M. (1999). Periodic response-reinforcer contiguity: Temporal control but not as we know it! The Psychological Record, 49(2), 273-297.
• Keenan, M., & Toal, L. (1991). Periodic reinforcement and second-order schedules. The Psychological Record, 41(1), 87-115.
• Lattal, K. A., & Ziegler, D. R. (1982). Briefly delayed reinforcement: An interresponse time analysis. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 37(3), 407-416. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1982.37-407
• Leander, J. D., Lippman, L. G., & Meyer, M. E. (1968). Fixed interval performance as related to subjects' verbalizations of the reinforcement contingency. The Psychological Record, 18(3), 469-474.
• LeFrancois, J. R., Chase, P. N., & Joyce, J. H. (1988). The effects of a variety of instructions on human fixed-interval performance. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 49(3), 383-393. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1988.49-383
• Lippman, L. G., & Meyer, M. E. (1967). Fixed interval performance as related to instructions and to subjects' verbalizations of the contingency. Psychonomic Science, 8(4), 135-136. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03331586
• Lowe, C. F. (1979). Determinants of human operant behavior. In M. D., Zeiler,P. Harzem, (Eds.), Reinforcement and the structure of behavior (pp. 159-192). New York: Wiley.
• Madden, G. J., Chase, P. N., & Joyce, J. H. (1998). Making sense of sensitivity in the human operant literature. The Behavior Analyst, 21(1), 1-12.
• Matthews, B. A., Shimoff, E., Catania, A. C., & Sagvolden, T. (1977). Uninstructed human responding: Sensitivity to ratio and interval contingencies. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 27(3), 453-467. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1977.27-453
• Orne, M. T. (1962). On the social psychology of the psychological experiment: With particular reference to demand characteristics and their implications. American Psychologist, 17(11), 776-783. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0043424
• Perone, M., Galizio, M., & Baron, A. (1988). The relevance of animal-based principles in the laboratory study of human operant conditioning. In G. Davey & C. Cullen (Eds.), Human operant conditioning and behavior modification (pp. 59-85). Oxford, England: John Wiley & Sons.
• Smith, R. G., Iwata, B. A., & Shore, B. A. (1995). Effects of subject- versus experimenter-selected reinforcers on the behavior of individuals with profound developmental disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 28(1), 61-71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1995.28-61
• Weiner, H. (1969). Controlling human fixed-interval performance. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 12(3), 349-373. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1969.12-349
• Weiner, H. (1972). Controlling human fixed-interval performance with fixed-ratio responding or differential reinforcement of low-rate responding in mixed schedules. Psychonomic Science, 26(4), 191-192. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03328589
• Zeiler, M. D. (1984). The sleeping giant: Reinforcement schedules. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 42(3), 485-493. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1984.42-485