Citation

Joyce BG, Joyce JH, Chase PN. Educ. Treat. Child. 1989; 12(1): 82-92.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, West Virginia University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Educators frequently use rules for increasing student academic performance and for managing classroom behavior. Research, however, reveals that individuals whose behavior is rule-governed (under the control of reinforcement for rule-following) may be insensitive to changes in conditions that make following the rule unnecessary or inappropriate. This may result in students missing opportunities for reinforcement or being punished when following rules that are no longer applicable. This article presents a working definition of rules, describes research regarding the insensitivity of rule-governed behavior to contingency changes, and provides guidelines for preventing problems associated with insensitivity to changed contingencies.

Language: en