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Matching

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning

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Synonyms

Discriminative law of effect; Generalized matching law; Law of simple action; Matching law; Quantitative law of effect

Definition

Generically, matching is a set of quantitative theories concerned with choosing between alternatives, where choosing is defined as allocating behavior (responses or time spent responding). The original theory, proposed by Herrnstein (1970), was strict-matching theory. This theory suggested that animals and humans allocate behavior or time to available alternatives simply in proportion to the payoff (reinforcers) that they obtain from the alternatives. With some additional assumptions, Herrnstein proposed the Law of Simple Action (the quantitative law of effect, or Herrnstein’s hyperbola) to describe the rate of responding produced by varying reinforcer frequencies for a single response. However, strict-matching theory failed to describe all choice data accurately, and was replaced by generalized matching by Baum (1974) and Staddon (1968)....

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References

  • Baum, W. M. (1974). On two types of deviation from the matching law: Bias and undermatching. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 22, 231–242.

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

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  • Davison, M., & Nevin, J. A. (1999). Stimuli, reinforcers, and behavior: An integration. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 71, 439–482.

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  • Herrnstein, R. J. (1970). On the law of effect. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 13, 243–266.

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  • Staddon, J. E. R. (1968). Spaced responding and choice: A preliminary analysis. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 11, 669–682.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, 1142, Auckland, New Zealand

    Dr. Michael Davison (Faculty of Science)

Authors
  1. Dr. Michael Davison
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Correspondence to Michael Davison .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Education, University of Freiburg, 79085, Freiburg, Germany

    Norbert M. Seel

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Davison, M. (2012). Matching. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_484

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_484

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1427-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1428-6

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