Self-instructions as discriminative cues for rule-breaking or rule-following

Abstract

This experiment examined the relationship between self-instructions and subsequent instruction-following performance, as a function of the history of the consequences for correspondence or noncorrespondence. Subjects were two groups of elementary school children (ages 7 and 8 years). In training, the two groups were exposed to different histories of congruence or noncongruence between self-instructions and consequences for performance. In the Congruent group, subjects were exposed to a series of stimuli to which they were trained to give self-instructions to make, or not to make, a key-pressing response. Reinforcement was given for self-instructing, and responding in accord with the self-instruction. Subjects in the Noncongruent group were trained to give the same self-instructions for the same stimuli, but reinforcement was given for counter-compliance. Subsequently, in a temptation situation, the experimenter gave an instruction not to press for a test stimulus; and subjects were trained to give the inhibitory self-instruction for this stimulus. Subjects in the Noncongruent group showed a high rate of rule-breaking. The effects on behavior of self-delivered instructions depend on the past relations between these events and the consequences for instruction-following. Implications are discussed for moral behavior and cognitively oriented therapy.