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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1974 Jan;21(1):165–175. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1974.21-165

Handwriting as an operant1

Fernando A Gonzalez, Marcus B Waller
PMCID: PMC1333180  PMID: 16811729

Abstract

An apparatus was designed to monitor handwriting behavior. Two subjects were studied under various schedules of monetary reinforcement for handwriting. The different schedules engendered and maintained distinctive response patterns but the rates of sustained responding did not vary across schedules. The development of fixed-interval performance following continuous reinforcement resembled the same transition in lower animals. In one subject, availability of reading material interacted with the schedule to determine response pattern. It was suggested that handwriting may be a more appropriate response for the experimental analysis of human behavior than the more frequently used button-pushing or lever-pulling responses.

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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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