Bernstein D J, Michael R L
University of Nebraska, Lincoln 68588-0308.
J Exp Anal Behav. 1990 Nov;54(3):173-84. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1990.54-173.
Subjects lived in a laboratory apartment for up to 30 days, engaging in ordinary activities such as reading, sewing, and artwork. The amount of time devoted to each activity was recorded and compared with periodic verbal ratings of the amount of time devoted to the activities. The verbal and observational assessments of the time distribution were very similar, but there were some discrepancies. Based on self-reports and on observation of time actually devoted to the activities, contingencies were arranged in which time devoted to one activity produced time available for a second activity. When the contingency relation was based on behavioral assessment, predictions of time redistribution were more accurate than when the relations were based on verbal assessment. The close correspondence between observed distributions of time and verbally assessed distributions was probably due to the well-specified situation and rigorous assessment methods. Contrary to some cognitive-behavioral accounts, the contingency results suggest that verbal assessment is not necessarily preferable to observation when the two make discrepant predictions. It is suggested that verbal reports might be used more often in behavior analysis in place of lengthy or difficult observations, and attention is drawn to a personality model that parallels important components of behavior analysis.
受试者在实验室公寓里住了长达30天，进行阅读、缝纫和艺术创作等日常活动。记录了用于每项活动的时间，并与对用于这些活动的时间的定期口头评分进行比较。对时间分配的口头评估和观察评估非常相似，但也存在一些差异。根据自我报告以及对实际用于活动的时间的观察，安排了一些意外情况，即用于一项活动的时间会产生可用于第二项活动的时间。当意外情况关系基于行为评估时，与基于口头评估时相比，对时间重新分配的预测更准确。观察到的时间分布与口头评估的分布之间的密切对应可能是由于情况明确和评估方法严格。与一些认知行为理论相反，意外情况的结果表明，当两者做出不一致的预测时，口头评估不一定比观察更可取。建议在行为分析中更频繁地使用口头报告来代替冗长或困难的观察，并提请注意一个与行为分析的重要组成部分相似的人格模型。
