Examining the Effects of Verbal Stimuli on Cooperative Responding under a Competing Financial Contingency

Abstract

Motivative augmentals are verbal stimuli (i.e., rules), that temporarily increase or decrease the degree to which previous established reinforcers function for an individual (Ju & Hayes, 2008). Implicit relational responses are brief, immediate, relational responses (BIRRs) occurring with respect to specific classes of verbal stimuli present in an individual’s environment (Dymond & Roche, 2013). In contrast, explicit responses are referred to as extended and elaborated relational responses (EERRs) that occur in the absence of time pressure. The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) is a tool designed to assess the strength of one’s relational responding history with respect to brief presentations of verbal stimuli. This study examined the effects of IRAP-determined verbal stimuli on cooperative responding under a competing financial piece-rate contingency within a simulated work task. The degree to which IRAP-determined verbal stimuli functioned as motivative augmentals to increase participant cooperative responding will be discussed.