THE EFFECTS OF SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT ON INSTRUCTION FOLLOWING

The present study is a mixed design that examines instruction following, with the accuracy of instructions varied across phases within subjects and the schedule of reinforcement varied across six groups. A choice experiment was conducted in which subjects were provided with instructions that varied systematically in their accuracy. Across phases, the accuracy of instructions (expressed in percentages) was either 0-50-100-50-0 or 100-50-0-50-100. Across groups, the schedule of reinforcement was one of the following: continuous, Fixed Ratio 2, or Fixed Ratio 3. With continuous reinforcement, subjects showed collateral consequence control and either followed or disobeyed instructions, in keeping with the predictions of reinforcement theory. When the schedule of reinforcement was leaned, however, insensitivity was observed. The implications of the results for the controversies regarding the concept of rule-governed behavior are discussed.