In the 1st column on p. 41 Malott makes a very important point that's true not just for escape contingencies, but for all behavioral contingencies. In order for a behavioral contingency to control someone's behavior, they don't have to have any awareness of the contingency at all. On p. 51 Malott summarizes a classic experiment that really gives additional force to this point.
It's not uncommon for someone to become aware of a contingency that's controlling their behavior. But when that happens, it's a byproduct of the operation of the contingency, and their behavior would have changed in the same way if they'd never become aware of the contingency.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Awareness not required
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Principles of Behavior: Ch. 03
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I teach courses in the principles and applications of Behavior Analysis, the science and technology of behavior, which is different from other approaches in psychology in that it takes behavior as a subject matter in its own right, rather than as a tool for studying something else, such as the mind. The main purpose of this blog is to be a supplementary means of communication with students who are taking my courses.
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