Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Major/Program
Psychology
First Advisor's Name
Jacob L. Gewirtz
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
Martha Pelaez-Nogueras
Third Advisor's Name
Michael Markham
Fourth Advisor's Name
Scott Fraser
Date of Defense
12-1-1995
Abstract
The term "vicarious reinforcement" has been used by social-learning theorists to denote imitation that results from the observed reinforcement of behavior performed by a model. This conceptualization is incompatible with that of behavior analysis because it ignores the effect of prior learning on the observer's behavior and violates the definition of reinforcement. Experiment 1 replicated prior findings. Preschool children (N=32) imitated a model's reinforced choice responses, in the absence of direct experience with contingencies. In Experiment 2 (N=48), subjects failed to imitate reinforced modeled behavior when observed behavior contingencies were 'incongruent' with those experienced. The results were interpreted as consistent with the behavior-analytic position that observed reinforcement of a model's behavior functions as a discriminative cue (SD), not reinforcement, for the observer's imitative responses.
Identifier
FI14060837
Recommended Citation
Cigales, Maricel, "Vicarious reinforcement is a result of earlier learning" (1995). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2367.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2367
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