Effects of Historical and Social Variables on Instruction Following

Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of the presence of the experimenter on behavioral sensitivity to contingency change. In history training, college students were exposed to differential reinforcement of low rate (DRL) and fixed-ratio (FR) schedules, and in testing, to a fixed-interval (FI) schedule. For the control group, instructions were never provided, whereas for the without-observer and with-observer groups, inaccurate instructions were given (variable ratio [VR], fixed time [FT], and differential reinforcement of high rate [DRH], respectively). The experimenter was present during testing for the with-observer group. In history training, DRL response rates were lower than FR rates with or without instructions. In testing, the control and without-observer groups showed lower response rates and a more efficient behavioral patterning than did the with-observer group. These results indicate that instruction following was affected by the presence of the experimenter despite a history of no reinforcement for such behavior, and they suggest that instructional control may be strengthened by social contingencies.