2019 Volume 34 Issue 1 Pages 20-33
Study objective: The present study investigated effects of the number of rule-givers on rule control. Design: A between-group design with 3 conditions. Setting: Participants were exposed to 2-component multiple schedules individually in an experimental room; they then shared ways to earn points (rules) with other participants as rule-givers (confederates) in an adjacent room. Participants: Undergraduate students (N=66). Independent variables: The number of rule-givers (0, 1, or 2) who provided rules that did not describe appropriate schedule contingencies to the participants and the distribution of points depending on response rates were manipulated as between- and within-participant factors, respectively. Measures: Response rate under 2-component multiple schedules and choice of rule. Results: A trend analysis revealed a significant linear relationship between the number of rule-givers and rule-following responding. The correlation between self-rule and responding for the 2-rule-giver group was not significant. Conclusion: The results were consistent with findings in social psychology that social influence is a function of group size. The results suggest that both internal and external rule control are affected by the number of rule-givers.
