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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

human behavior, matching law, pattern of choices

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

In human behavior study, the arena of choice distribution has become a topic of increasing interest. BYU’s Laboratory for Human Behavior Analysis has been looking, specifically, at variations of an already explored and documented “matching law.” This established theory offers a way to create and interpret predictable actions of an individual when given rewardproducing choices “[The matching law] states that relative responding matches the relative reinforcement produced by that responding” (Catania, 1998, p. 188). If a pattern of reinforcements is instantiated, the matching law suggests that the subject’s responses will match that pattern. Any deviations from this established pattern could then be determined. By using the predictability inherent in the matching law to create a controlled environment, variables can be introduced and their effects measured. In this experiment, I focus on the added effects of a visually represented subject who appears to be having more success at a given task.

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