Abstract
Orienting instructions acquaint subjects with the experimental task and apparatus. Although orienting instructions are a common feature of operant research, their behavioral effects have not been extensively investigated. In the present study, each of four groups received a different set of orienting instructions prior to responding on a multiple fixed-interval, fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement. Subjects who received the most detailed instructions, which specified the task and the response manipulandum, and in which subjects were advised to earn as many points as possible, showed the least amount of response variability, but they also showed the least sensitivity to programmed contingencies. Subjects that received the same instructions, minus the advice to maximize points, showed less between-subject variability than did the remaining two groups, and greater discrimination between schedule components than did all other groups. Subjects who received instructions that did not specify the task or response manipulandum showed considerable variability in responding and less sensitivity to programmed contingencies. Although orienting instructions may be required for subjects to contact the experimental contingencies, some orienting instructions influence subjects’ sensitivity to the experimental contingencies more than others.
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DeGrandpre, R.J., Buskist, W. & Cush, D. Effects of orienting instructions on sensitivity to scheduled contingencies. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 28, 331–334 (1990). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334036
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334036