Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Empirical Matching, Matching Theory, and an Evolutionary Theory of Behavior Dynamics in Clinical Application

  • SI:Applications of Quantitative Methods
  • Published:
Perspectives on Behavior Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article provides an overview of highlights from 60 years of basic research on choice that are relevant to the assessment and treatment of clinical problems. The quantitative relations developed in this research provide useful information about a variety of clinical problems including aggressive, antisocial, and delinquent behavior, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, chronic pain syndrome, intellectual disabilities, pedophilia, and self-injurious behavior. A recent development in this field is an evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics that is used to animate artificial organisms (AOs). The behavior of AOs animated by the theory has been shown to conform to the quantitative relations that have been developed in the choice literature over the years, which means that the theory generates these relations as emergent outcomes, and therefore provides a theoretical basis for them. The theory has also been used to create AOs that exhibit specific psychopathological behavior, the assessment and treatment of which has been studied virtually. This modeling of psychopathological behavior has contributed to our understanding of the nature and treatment of the problems in humans.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barker, J. G., & Howell, R. J. (1992). The plethysmograph: A review of recent literature. Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry & the Law, 20, 13–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baum, W. M. (1974). On two types of deviation from the matching law: Bias and undermatching. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 22(1), 231–242. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1974.22-231.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Baum, W. M. (1979). Matching, undermatching, and overmatching in studies of choice. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 32, 269–281. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1979.32-269.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Baum, W. M., & Rachlin, H. C. (1969). Choice as time allocation. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 12, 861–874.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beardsley, S. D., & McDowell, J. J. (1992). Application of Herrnstein’s hyperbola to time allocation of naturalistic human behavior maintained by naturalistic social reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 57, 177–185. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1992.57-177.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Belke, T. W., & Heyman, G. M. (1994). Increasing and signaling background reinforcement: Effect on the foreground response–reinforcer relation. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 61, 65–81. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1994.61-65.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Berardi, V., Carretero-González, R., Klepeis, N. E., Ghanipoor Machiani, S., Jahangiri, A., Bellettiere, J., & Hovell, M. (2018). Computational model for behavior shaping as an adaptive health intervention strategy. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 8, 183–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, C. M. (1977). Suppression of response rates in variable-interval schedules by a concurrent schedule of reinforcement. British Journal of Psychology, 68, 473–480. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1977.tb01617.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, C. M., & Szabadi, E. (1978). Changes in operant behavior in a manic-depressive patient. Behavior Therapy, 9, 950–954.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, C. M., Szabadi, E., & Bevan, P. (1976). Behavior of humans in variable-interval schedules of reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 26, 135–141. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1976.26-135.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, C. M., Szabadi, E., & Bevan, P. (1977). Effect of punishment on human variable-interval performance. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 27, 275–279. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1977.27-275.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, C. M., Szabadi, E., & Bevan, P. (1978). Effect of variable-interval punishment on the behavior of humans in variable-interval schedules of monetary reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 29, 161–166. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1978.29-161.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, C. M., Szabadi, E., Bevan, P., & Ruddle, H. V. (1979). The effect of signaled reinforcement availability on concurrent performances in humans. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 32, 65–74. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1979.32-65.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Buskist, W. F., & Miller, H. L. (1981). Concurrent operant performance in humans: Matching when food is the reinforcer. Psychological Record, 31, 95–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catania, A. C. (1966). Concurrent operants. In W. K. Honig (Ed.), Operant behavior: Areas of research and application (pp. 213–270). Appleton-Century-Crofts.

  • Catania, A. C., & Reynolds, G. S. (1968). A quantitative analysis of the responding maintained by interval schedules of reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 11, 327–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chi, C. (2019). Monkey see computer do: Simulation of dynamic behavior via the evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics [Master's thesis]. https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/tm70mw37x?locale=en

  • Cliffe, M. J., & Parry, S. J. (1980). Matching to reinforcer value: Human concurrent variable-interval performance. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 32, 557–570. https://doi.org/10.1080/14640748008401845.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conger, R., & Killeen, P. R. (1974). Use of concurrent operants in small group research: A demonstration. Pacific Sociological Review, 17, 399–416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corrado, G. S., Sugrue, L. P., Seung, H. S., & Newsome, W. T. (2005). Linear-nonlinear-Poisson models of primate choice dynamic. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 84(3), 581–617. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2005.23-05.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Dallery, J., Soto, P. L., & McDowell, J. J. (2005). A test of the formal and modern theories of matching. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 84, 129–145. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2005.108-04.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Davison, M., & Baum, W. M. (2000). Choice in a variable environment: Every reinforcer counts. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 74, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2000.74-1.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Davison, M., & McCarthy, D. (1988). The matching law: A research review. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

  • de Villiers, P. A. (1977). Choice in concurrent schedules and a quantitative formulation of the law of effect. In W. K. Honig & J. E. R. Staddon (Eds.), Handbook of operant behavior (pp. 233–287). Prentice-Hall.

  • de Villiers, P. A., & Herrnstein, R. J. (1976). Toward a law of response strength. Psychological Bulletin, 83, 1131–1153. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.83.6.1131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dishion, T. J., Andrews, D. W., & Crosby, L. (1995). Antisocial boys and their friends in early adolescence: Relationship characteristics, quality, and interactional process. Child Development, 66, 139–151. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131196.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dishion, T. J., French, D. C., & Patterson, G. R. (1995). The development and ecology of antisocial behavior. In D. Cicchetti & D. J. Cohen (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Vol. 2. Risk, disorder, and adaptation (pp. 421–471). John Wiley & Sons.

  • Dishion, T. J., Spracklen, K. M., Andrews, D. W., & Patterson, G. R. (1996). Deviancy training in male adolescent friendships. Behavior Therapy, 27, 373–390. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(96)80023-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, V. I. (1983). Attentional and cognitive problems. In M. Ruttler (Ed.), Developmental neuropsychiatry (pp. 280–329). Guilford Press.

  • Edelman, G. M. (1978). Group selection and phasic reentrant signaling: A theory of higher brain function. In G. Edelman & V. Mountcastle (Eds.), The mindful brain (pp. 51–100). MIT Press.

  • Edelman, G. M. (1987). Neural Darwinism: The theory of neuronal group selection. Basic Books.

  • Epling, W. F., & Pierce, W. D. (1983). Applied behavior analysis: New directions from the laboratory. The Behavior Analyst, 6, 27–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, E., & McDowell, J. J. (1995). Response–reinforcement relationships in chronic pain syndrome: Applicability of Herrnstein’s Law. Behaviour Research & Therapy, 33, 855–863. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(95)00005-I.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furukawa, E., Alsop, B., Shimabukuro, & Tripp, G. (2019). Is increased sensitivity to punishment a common characteristic of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder? An experimental study of response allocation in Japanese children. ADHD Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorders, 11, 433–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haenlein, M., & Caul, W. F. (1987). Attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity: A specific hypothesis of reward dysfunction. Journal of American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 26, 356–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harman, P. M. (2001). The natural philosophy of James Clerk Maxwell. Cambridge University Press.

  • Hayek, F. A. (1952a). The counter-revolution of science: Studies on the abuse of reason. Free Press.

  • Hayek, F. A. (1952b). The sensory order: An inquiry into the foundations of theoretical psychology. University of Chicago Press.

  • Herrnstein, R. J. (1961). Relative and absolute strength of response as a function of frequency of reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 4, 267–272. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1961.4-267.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Herrnstein, R. J. (1981). Punishment and avoidance—Chairman's comments. In C. M. Bradshaw, E. Szabadi, & C. F. Lowe (Eds.), Quantification of steady-state operant behaviour (pp. 165–173). Elsevier/North-Holland.

  • Killeen, P. R. (1972). The matching law. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 17, 489–495. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1972.17-489.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kollins, S. H., Lane, S. D., & Shapiro, S. K. (1997). Experimental analysis of childhood psychopathology: A laboratory matching analysis of the behavior of children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Psychological Record, 47, 25–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kollins, S. H., Newland, M. C., & Critchfield, T. S. (1997a). Human sensitivity to reinforcement in operant choice: How much do consequences matter? Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 4, 208–220. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kollins, S. H., Newland, M. C., & Critchfield, T. S. (1997b). “Human sensitivity to reinforcement in operant choice: How much do consequences matter?”: Erratum. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 4, 431. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210806.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, D., Elliffe, D., & Hautus, M. (2018). A multivariate assessment of the rapidly changing procedure with McDowell’s evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 110, 336–365. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.478.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (1980). An analytic comparison of Herrnstein's equations and a multivariate rate equation. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 33, 397–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (1981). On the validity and utility of Herrnstein's hyperbola in applied behavior analysis. In C. M. Bradshaw, E. Szabadi, & C. F. Lowe (Eds.), Quantification of steady-state operant behaviour (pp. 311–324). Elsevier/North-Holland.

  • McDowell, J. J. (1982). The importance of Herrnstein's mathematical statement of the law of effect for behavior therapy. American Psychologist, 37, 771–779.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (1986). On the falsifiability of matching theory. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 45, 63–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (1988). Matching theory in natural human environments. The Behavior Analyst, 11, 95–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (2004). A computational model of selection by consequences. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 81(3), 297–317. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2004.81-297.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (2010). Behavioral and neural Darwinism: Selectionist function and mechanism in adaptive behavior dynamics. Behavioural Processes, 84, 358–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (2013a). On the theoretical and empirical status of the matching law and matching theory. Psychological Bulletin, 139(5), 1000–1028. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029924.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (2013b). Representations of complexity: How nature appears in our theories. The Behavior Analyst, 36, 345–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (2013c). Calculi of complexity: How phenomena emerge from rules. A review of Complexity: A guided tour by Melanie Mitchell. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 99, 234–244. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (2013d). A quantitative evolutionary theory of adaptive behavior dynamics. Psychological Review, 120(4), 731–750. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034244.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (2017). Animal cognition + optimal choice = behavior: A review of Adaptive Behavior and Learning, 2nd Ed., by J. E. R. Staddon. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 108, 125–138. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J. (2019). On the current status of the evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 111 (1), 130–145. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.495

  • McDowell, J. J., & Calvin, N. T. (2015). Against matching theory: Predictions of an evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics. Behavioural Processes, 114, 14–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2015.02.007.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., Calvin, O. L., Hackett, R., & Klapes, B. (2017). Falsification of matching theory and confirmation of an evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics in a critical experiment. Behavioural Processes, 140, 61–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.03.025.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., & Caron, M. L. (2007). Undermatching is an emergent property of selection by consequences. Behavioural Processes, 75, 97–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., & Caron, M. L. (2010a). Matching in an undisturbed natural human environment. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 93, 413–431.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., & Caron, M. L. (2010b). Bias and undermatching in delinquent boys’ verbal behavior as a function of their level of deviance. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 93, 469–481. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2010.93-469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., Caron, M. L., Kulubekova, S., & Berg, J. P. (2008). A computational theory of selection by consequences applied to concurrent schedules. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 90, 387–403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., & Klapes, B. (2018). An evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics applied to concurrent ratio schedules. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 110, 323–335. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.468.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., & Klapes, B. (2019). An implementation of punishment in the evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 112, 128–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., & Klapes, B. (2020). All behavior is choice: Revisiting an evolutionary theory’s account of behavior on single schedules. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 114, 430–446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., & Popa, A. (2010). Toward a mechanics of adaptive behavior: Evolutionary dynamics and matching theory statics. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 94, 241–260. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2010.94-241.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., Popa, A., & Calvin, N. T. (2012). Selection dynamics in joint matching to rate and magnitude of reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 98, 199–212. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2012.98-199.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., & Riley, S. (2020). Improving on Skinner: An evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics and its neural interpretation. Behavior & Philosophy, 48, 1–7.

  • McDowell, J. J., Soto, P. L., Dallery, J., & Kulubekova, S. (2006). A computational theory of adaptive behavior based on an evolutionary reinforcement mechanism. In M. Keijzer (Ed.), Proceedings of the 2006 Conference on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation (GECCO-2006) (pp. 175–182). ACM Press.

  • McDowell, J. J., & Wood, H. M. (1984). Confirmation of linear system theory prediction: Changes in Herrnstein’s k as a function of changes in reinforcer magnitude. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 41, 183–192. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1984.41-183.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J., & Wood, H. M. (1985). Confirmation of linear system theory prediction: Rate of change of Herrnstein’s k as a function of response-force requirement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 43, 61–73. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1985.43-61.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Moffat, G. H., & Koch, D. L. (1973). Escape performance as a function of delay of reinforcement and inescapable US trials. Psychological Reports, 32, 1255–1261. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1973.32.3c.1255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, L. K., & Kollins, S. H. (2000). Effects of methylphenidate on sensitivity to reinforcement in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: An application of the matching law. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 33, 573–591. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2000.33-573.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Myers, D. L., & Myers, L. E. (1977). Undermatching: A reappraisal of performance on concurrent variable-interval schedules of reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 27, 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1977.27-203.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Myerson, J., & Hale, S. (1984). Practical implications of the matching law. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 17, 367–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, C., Hall, S., & Nixon, J. (1999). A molecular to molar analysis of communicative and problem behaviors. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 20, 197–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0891-4222(99)00003-7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pierce, W. D., & Epling, W. F. (1983). Choice, matching, and human behavior: A review of the literature. The Behavior Analyst, 6, 57–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pierce, W. D., Epling, W. F., & Greer, S. M. (1981). Human communication and the matching law. In C. M. Bradshaw, E. Szabadi, & C. F. Lowe (Eds.), Quantification of steady-state operant behaviour (pp. 175–182). Elsevier/North-Holland.

  • Plaud, J. J. (1992). The prediction and control of behavior revisited: A review of the matching law. Journal of Behavior Therapy & Experimental Psychiatry, 23, 25–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7916(92)90021-A.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J. J, & Popa, A. (2009). Beyond continuous mathematics and traditional scientific analysis: Understanding and mining Wolfram’s A New Kind of Science. Behavioural Processes, 81, 343–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2009.01.012

  • Popa, A. (2013). The evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics: Complexity, Darwinism, and the emergence of high-level phenotypes [Doctoral dissertation], Emory University. http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/f8hw4

  • Pringle, J. W. S. (1951). On the parallel between learning and evolution. Behaviour, 3, 174–214. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853951X00269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rachlin, H. (1971). On the tautology of the matching law. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 15, 249–251. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1971.15-249.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Reed, D. D., Critchfield, T. S., & Martens, B. K. (2006). The generalized matching law in elite sports competition: Football play calling as operant choice. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 39, 281–297. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2006.146-05.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ruddle, H. V., Bradshaw, C. M., & Szabadi, E. (1981). Performance of humans in variable-interval avoidance schedules programmed singly, and concurrently with variable-interval schedules of positive reinforcement. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology: Comparative & Physiological Psychology, 33B, 213–226. https://doi.org/10.1080/14640748108400808.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruddle, H. V., Bradshaw, C. M., Szabadi, E., & Foster, T. M. (1982). Performance of humans in concurrent avoidance/positive-reinforcement schedules. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 38, 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1982.38-51.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, J., Horsch, E., & Childs, J. (1997). Peer relationships of young children: Affiliative choices and the shaping of aggressive behavior. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 26, 145–156. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp2602_3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, J., Schrepferman, L., & St. Peter, C. (1997). Origins of antisocial behavior: Negative reinforcement and affect dysregulation of behavior as socialization mechanisms in family interaction. Behavior Modification, 21, 187–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/01454455970212004.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, J., West, L., Stockemer, V., Gibbons, S., & Almquist-Parks, L. (1996). A social learning model of peer choice in the natural environment. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 17, 215–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0193-3973(96)90026-X.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, J. J., & Patterson, G. R. (1995). Individual differences in social aggression: A test of a reinforcement model of socialization in the natural environment. Behavior Therapy, 26, 371–391. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(05)80111-X.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soto, P. L., McDowell, J. J., & Dallery, J. (2005). Effects of adding a second reinforcement alternative: Implications for Herrnstein’s interpretation of re. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 84, 185–225. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2005.09-05.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Staddon, J. E. R. (1968). Spaced responding and choice: A preliminary analysis. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 11, 669–682. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1968.11-669.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Staddon, J. E. R. (1972). Temporal control and the theory of reinforcement schedules. In R. M. Gilbert & J. R. Millenson (Eds.), Reinforcement: Behavioral analyses (pp. 209–262). Academic Press.

  • Stilling, S. T., & Critchfield, T. S. (2010). The matching relation and situation-specific bias modulation on professional football play selection. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 93, 435–454. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2010.93-435.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Symons, F. J., Hoch, J., Dahl, N. A., & McComas, J. J. (2003). Sequential and matching analyses of self-injurious behavior: A case of overmatching in the natural environment. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 36, 267–270. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2003.36-267.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Szabadi, E., Bradshaw, C. M., & Ruddle, H. (1981). Reinforcement processes in affective illness: Towards a quantitative analysis. In C. M. Bradshaw, E. Szabadi, & C. F. Lowe (Eds.), Quantification of steadystate operant behavior (pp. 299–310). Elsevier/North-Holland.

  • Takahashi, M., & Iwamoto, T. (1986). Human concurrent performances: The effects of experience, instructions, and schedule-correlated stimuli. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 45, 257–267. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1986.45-257.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, D., Lincoln, A. J., & Foster, S. L. (2010). Impaired behavior regulation under conditions of concurrent variable schedules of reinforcement in children with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 13, 358–368. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054708329974.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • VanDeventer, A. D., & Laws, D. R. (1978). Orgasmic reconditioning to redirect sexual arousal in pedophiles. Behavior Therapy, 9, 748–765.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vollmer, T. R., & Bourret, J. (2000). An application of the matching law to evaluate the allocation of two- and three-point shots by college basketball players. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 33, 137–150. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2000.33-137.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wearden, J. H., & Burgess, I. S. (1982). Matching since Baum (1979). Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 38, 339–348. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1982.38-3.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kulubekova, S., and McDowell, J. J (2013). Computational model of selection by consequences: Patterns of preference change on concurrent schedules. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 100, 147‑164.

  • McDowell, J. J, & Popa, A. (2009). Beyond continuous mathematics and traditional scientific analysis: Understanding and mining Wolfram’s A New Kind of Science. Behavioural Processes, 81, 343-352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2009.01.012

  • Herrnstein R. J. (1970). On the law of effect. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 13(2), 243–266. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1970.13-243

Download references

Acknowledgments

I thank Cyrus Chi, Samuel Morris, and Steven Riley for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    J. J McDowell

Authors
  1. J. J McDowell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. J McDowell.

Ethics declarations

This research complies with ethical standards

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

McDowell, J.J. Empirical Matching, Matching Theory, and an Evolutionary Theory of Behavior Dynamics in Clinical Application. Perspect Behav Sci 44, 561–580 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-021-00296-w

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-021-00296-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation