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. 1985 Fall;18(3):201–214. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1985.18-201

Self-reinforcement effects: An artifact of social standard setting?

Steven C Hayes 1, Irwin Rosenfarb 1, Edelgard Wulfert 1, Edwin D Munt 1, Zamir Korn 1, Robert D Zettle 1
PMCID: PMC1308011  PMID: 16795688

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to identify mechanisms responsible for observed “self-reinforcement” effects. In Experiment 1, using a studying task, self-reinforcement procedures did not work when they were private (i.e., when others are not aware of the goals or contingencies), but did work when they were public. Self-delivery of consequences added nothing to the effectiveness of the procedure. The data suggested that public goal setting was the critical element in the procedure's effectiveness. In Experiment 2, an applied extension, goal setting alone was effective in modifying over a long time period studying behaviors of people with significant studying difficulties, but only when the goals were known to others. Overall, the two experiments make more plausible the view that self-reinforcement procedures work by setting a socially available standard against which performance can be evaluated. The procedure itself functions as a discriminative stimulus for stringent or lenient social contingencies. The application of this mechanism to other problems of applied significance is briefly discussed.

Keywords: self-control, self-reinforcement, goal setting, social standard setting, public knowledge of treatment

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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