Skip to main content
The Behavior Analyst logoLink to The Behavior Analyst
. 1981 Fall;4(2):143–152. doi: 10.1007/BF03391861

Describing response-event relations: Babel revisited

Kennon A Lattal, Alan D Poling
PMCID: PMC2741921  PMID: 22478546

Abstract

The terms used to describe the relations among the three components of contingencies of reinforcement and punishment include many with multiple meanings and imprecise denotation. In particular, usage of the term “contingency” and its variants and acceptance of unsubstantiated functional, rather than procedural, descriptions of response-event relations are especially troublesome in the behavior analysis literature. Clarity seems best served by restricting the term “contingency” to its generic usage and by utilizing procedural descriptions of response-event relations.

Full text

PDF
143

Selected References

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

  1. APPEL J. B., HISS R. H. The discrimination of contingent from noncontingent reinforcement. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1962 Feb;55:37–39. doi: 10.1037/h0044613. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baum W. M. The correlation-based law of effect. J Exp Anal Behav. 1973 Jul;20(1):137–153. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1973.20-137. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Catania A. C. Editorial: On the vocabulary and the grammar of behavior. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Nov;12(6):845–846. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-845. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. KELLEHER R. T., GOLLUB L. R. A review of positive conditioned reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1962 Oct;5:543–597. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1962.5-s543. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. KELLOGG W. N. Superstitious behavior in animals. Psychol Rev. 1949 May;56(3):172–175. doi: 10.1037/h0055221. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Krantz D. L. The separate worlds of operant and non-operant psychology. J Appl Behav Anal. 1971 Spring;4(1):61–70. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1971.4-61. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Lachter G. D. Some temporal parameters of non-contingent reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1971 Sep;16(2):207–217. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1971.16-207. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lattal K. A., Bryan A. J. Effects of concurrent response-independent reinforcement on fixed-interval schedule performance. J Exp Anal Behav. 1976 Nov;26(3):495–504. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1976.26-495. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Neuringer A. J. Animals respond for food in the presence of free food. Science. 1969 Oct 17;166(3903):399–401. doi: 10.1126/science.166.3903.399. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. REYNOLDS G. S. Behavioral contrast. J Exp Anal Behav. 1961 Jan;4:57–71. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1961.4-57. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Rachlin H., Baum W. M. Effects of alternative reinforcement: does the source matter? J Exp Anal Behav. 1972 Sep;18(2):231–241. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1972.18-231. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Rescorla R. A. Pavlovian conditioning and its proper control procedures. Psychol Rev. 1967 Jan;74(1):71–80. doi: 10.1037/h0024109. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. SKINNER B. F. Superstition in the pigeon. J Exp Psychol. 1948 Apr;38(2):168–172. doi: 10.1037/h0055873. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Schick K. Operants. J Exp Anal Behav. 1971 May;15(3):413–423. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1971.15-413. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Schoenfeld W. N., Cole B. K. What is a "schedule of reinforcement"? Pavlov J Biol Sci. 1975 Jan-Mar;10(1):52–61. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sizemore O. J., Lattal K. A. Dependency, temporal contiguity, and response-independent reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1977 Jan;27(1):119–125. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1977.27-119. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Zeiler M. D. Fixed and variable schedules of response-independent reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1968 Jul;11(4):405–414. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1968.11-405. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Zeiler M. D. Positive reinforcement and the elimination of reinforced responses. J Exp Anal Behav. 1976 Jul;26(1):37–44. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1976.26-37. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Behavior Analyst are provided here courtesy of Association for Behavior Analysis International

RESOURCES