Human schedule performance, protocol analysis, and the "silent dog" methodology
- Cabello, F. 2
- Luciano, C. 3
- Gomez, I. 3
- Barnes-Holmes, D. 1
-
1
National University of Ireland
info
-
2
Universidad de La Rioja
info
-
3
Universidad de Almería
info
ISSN: 0033-2933
Any de publicació: 2004
Volum: 54
Número: 3
Pàgines: 405-422
Tipus: Article
Altres publicacions en: Psychological Record
Resum
The purpose of the current experiment was to investigate the role of private verbal behavior on the operant performances of human adults, using a protocol analysis procedure with additional methodological controls (the "silent dog" method). Twelve subjects were exposed to fixed ratio 8 and differential reinforcement of low rate 3-s schedules. For 6 subjects, verbal self-reports were recorded concurrently during exposure to the reinforcement schedules. Results showed a significant relationship between certain types of rules and task performances, and especially between counting and schedule-sensitive performance. A detailed analysis also suggested that counting facilitated the discrimination of programmed contingencies in the current task. Suggestions are offered for further research involving the use of the protocol analysis methodology.