LOSSES AND GAINS: EFFECTS OF PROGRAMMED CONSEQUENCES ON RULE FOLLOWING

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the role of both losing and gaining reinforcement in the following-rule behavior. Twenty undergraduate students participated and were assigned to two different groups: (1) Negative Group and (2) Positive Group.? ? ? ? The participants of the Negative Group started the session with 80 points and lost a point after each incorrect response; the ones in the Positive Group gained a point after each correct response. A computerized procedure was used, in a single experimental session with 80 trials of a matching-to-sample task; the task consisted of selecting one of two comparison stimuli, in the presence of a contextual one. All participants, in both groups, received the same instructions. Four experimental blocks were planned: Block C1, Block D1, Block C2 and Block D2, respectively. During the C1 and C2 Blocks contingencies corresponded to the instructions; during the D1 and D2 Blocks, they were discrepant. In the discrepant conditions, participants of the Negative Group presented significantly more corrected responses than the Positive Group. The results suggested that instruction-following tends to be abandoned when it produces a loss of reinforcement. The importance of investigating further the role of aversive control in discriminative behavior is discussed.Keywords: verbal behavior, rule-governed behavior, aversive control, matching-to-sample, undergraduated students.