Evocative and function-altering effects of contingency-specifiying stimuli.

This study examined the effects of various forms of contingency-specifying stimuli (CSSs) on the compliance of 4-year-old children, and attempted to separate the evocative vs. function-altering functions of the CSSs. Each child was presented with a series of CSSs (one per day) that differed with respect to the deadline specified (immediate or delayed) and the consequence specified for performing the task. In the second part of the experiment, the CSSs either specified a delayed deadline or did not specify a deadline. Also, the consequences that were specified were either immediate or delayed. The results showed that under conditions where the opportunity to respond was immediately available, (a) CSSs that specified deadlines and immediate consequences exerted reliable control over behavior, and (b) deadlines, whether delayed or immediate exerted some control over the behavior, even when CSSs specified no consequences for task completion. Under conditions where the opportunity to respond was delayed, (a) CSSs of any kind were less likely to exert reliable control, and (b) children were most likely to respond when CSSs specified immediate consequences and made no mention of a deadline. Results are interpreted in terms of the role of CSSs as evocative and/or function-altering and in terms of deadlines as learned aversive conditions.