Effects of social reinforcement histories on rule-following

Authors

  • Luiz Carlos de Albuquerque Universidade Federal do Pará
  • Gilsany Leão Matsuo Universidade Federal do Pará
  • Carla Cristina Paiva Paracampo Universidade Federal do Pará

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/psi.v13i2.14802

Keywords:

contingencies of reinforcement, social reinforcement history, instructional control

Abstract

The objective was to study the effects of social reinforcement histories on rule-following using 12 undergraduate students exposed to a matching-to-sample procedure. The task was to point out each one of the three comparison stimuli in a given sequence. In both experimental conditions, no sequence was reinforced or instructed in Phase 1. Phase 2 initiated the rule corresponding to the contingencies and Phase 3 with the rule that was discrepant to the contingencies. In Phases 2 and 3, the only reinforced sequence was the one specified by the correspondent rule of Phase 2. The two conditions differed in the consequences programmed for the correct sequence. The correct sequence would produce social reinforcement in Condition 1 and would produce social reinforcement, plus points exchangeable for money in Condition 2. The correct sequence was reinforced in continuous reinforcement. All 12 participants followed the correspondent rule in Phase 2. In Phase 3, four out of six participants in Condition 1 and three out of six participants in Condition 2 followed the discrepant rule. It is suggested that a history of social reinforcement for following a correspondent rule can contribute to maintain a subsequent following of a rule discrepant from the contingencies.

Keywords: contingencies of reinforcement; social reinforcement history; instructional control.

Author Biographies

Luiz Carlos de Albuquerque, Universidade Federal do Pará

Professor Associado da Universidade Federal do Pará e do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Teoria e Pesquisa do Comportamento da mesma Instituição. Bolsista de Produtividade em Pesquisa do CNPq.

Gilsany Leão Matsuo, Universidade Federal do Pará

Estudante do curso de Psicologia da UFPa e bolsista de iniciação científica do CNPq.

Carla Cristina Paiva Paracampo, Universidade Federal do Pará

Professora Associado da Universidade Federal do Pará e do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Teoria e Pesquisa do Comportamento da mesma Instituição. Bolsista de Produtividade em Pesquisa do CNPq.

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How to Cite

Albuquerque, L. C. de, Matsuo, G. L., & Paracampo, C. C. P. (2009). Effects of social reinforcement histories on rule-following. Interação Em Psicologia, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.5380/psi.v13i2.14802

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2009)

Section

Articles

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