Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS)
Volume 39, January 2026
Authors
Esmeralda MartÃnez-Carrillo & Francisco J. Ruiz
Key Findings
- Contingency insensitivity experiment with non-instructed and instructed participants.
- Include participants based on self-reported generalized pliance and tracking.
- The instructed group showed less sensitivity to changing contingencies.
- High-pliance participants were more motivated to follow rules but also earn points.
Abstract
Rule-based insensitivity to contingencies is a behavioral phenomenon in which participants instructed to respond correctly exhibit lower sensitivity to changing contingencies compared to those who learn through trial and error. A recent review highlighted a bias in the literature, suggesting that trial-and-error participants may follow rules that are similar to those followed by individuals who have learned through explicit instruction. Furthermore, two types of rule-following, pliance and tracking, are believed to influence this insensitivity, but the analysis has incurred the conceptual shortcoming of defining these rules from the experimenter's perspective instead of focusing on the functions the rules have for participants. This study aimed to address these limitations by asking participants about the task functions at the end of the experiment and by recruiting those with self-reported generalized pliance and tracking. Ninety participants completed a matching-to-sample task in two conditions: General Instruction (GI) and General Instruction + Responding Criteria (GI + RC; i.e., explicit instruction indicating how to respond correctly). As expected, the GI + RC group showed less sensitivity to changing contingencies. Interestingly, about one-third of GI participants believed they had responding criteria, behaving similarly to the GI + RC group. There were no sensitivity differences between high pliance and high tracking participants, but pliance participants were more motivated to follow instructions and earn points. This study builds upon previous research by examining participants' rule-following in the trial-and-error condition and highlighting the varying functions of traditional tasks for high pliance and tracking individuals. These differences might increase insensitivity in pliance participants, but also enhance their sensitivity by heightening their motivation for the arbitrary reinforcement of the task.