Choice, matching, and human behavior: A review of the literature

This review concerns human performance on concurrent schedules of reinforcement. Studies indicate that humans match relative behavior to relative rate of reinforcement. Herrnstein's proportional matching equation describes human performance but most studies do not evaluate the equation at the i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Behavior analyst Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 57 - 76
Main Authors Pierce, W D, Epling, W F
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland 01.01.1983
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Summary:This review concerns human performance on concurrent schedules of reinforcement. Studies indicate that humans match relative behavior to relative rate of reinforcement. Herrnstein's proportional matching equation describes human performance but most studies do not evaluate the equation at the individual level. Baum's generalized matching equation has received strong support with humans as subjects. This equation permits the investigation of sources of deviation from ideal matching and a few studies have suggested variables which control such deviations in humans. While problems with instructional control are raised, the overall findings support the matching law as a principle of human choice.
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ISSN:0738-6729
2196-8918
DOI:10.1007/BF03391874