Abstract
Do not make these erroneous, simplistic assumptions: (1) Psychological phenomena need non-Skinner-box concepts for their understanding; (2) All natural and performance-management contingencies are the direct-acting contingencies of the Skinner box; (3) The delayed delivery of a reinforcer is reinforcement; and (4) A contingency will be ineffective, if it involves a delayed outcome. Delayed-outcome performance-management contingencies can be effective, if their outcomes are sufficiently sizeable and probable, if they involve deadlines (in the case of performance maintenance contingencies), and if the performer knows the rule describing the contingency. The main function of rules describing delayed-outcome performance-management contingencies is their creation of noncompliance as an aversive condition. The performer then escapes or attenuates the aversive condition by complying with the rule. However, the aversiveness of noncompliance is a function of our preschool behavioral history. For example, such early childhood training determines the proximity to the deadline before noncompliance becomes aversive enough to motivate compliance. Thus, early childhood training determines the amount of performance management needed to obtain reliable performance; so we all need Jewish mothers, or their surrogates, if we are to avoid the need of excessive performance management.
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