Relationship between contingency awareness and human performance on random ratio and random interval schedules

In three experiments, human participants pressed the space bar on a computer keyboard to earn points on random-ratio (RR) and random-interval (RI) schedules of reinforcement. Verbalized contingency awareness (CA) for each schedule was measured after the entire task (Experiments 1 and 2), or after each RR–RI trial (Experiment 3). In all three experiments, an ability to accurately verbalize the appropriate contingency for each schedule was associated with typical schedule responding. In addition, lagged correlational analysis of verbalized contingency awareness and schedule performance was undertaken in Experiment 3. Results of these correlations initially suggested that CA scores were better predictors of typical schedule performance on the following trial than typical schedule performance was of CA scores on the following trial; however, further analysis revealed no significant differences between the alternate lagged correlation types in each pair. Findings, therefore, suggest that operant performance on RR and RI schedules is associated with participant-derived rule governed behavior, and results are discussed in terms of the introduction of a new paradigm for measuring this association, and the potential for further research to manipulate these parameters further in order to investigate causality in this respect.