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The Differential Outcomes Effect

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Abstract

The differential outcomes effect refers specifically to the increase in speed of acquisition or terminal accuracy that occurs in discrimination training when each of two or more discriminative stimuli is correlated with a particular outcome (e.g., type of reinforcer). The present review summarizes studies concerned with the differential outcomes effect, provides a behavioral analysis of the phenomenon in terms of operant-respondent interactions, and offers suggestions for future research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008-5052, USA

    Susan Goeters, Elbert Blakely & Alan Poling

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  1. Susan Goeters
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  2. Elbert Blakely
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  3. Alan Poling
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Elbert Blakely is currently employed by Life Concepts, Inc. The comments of Jack Michael and Alyce Dickinson on an earlier version of the manuscript are greatly appreciated. Please address correspondence and reprint requests to Susan Goeters, or Alan Poling.

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Goeters, S., Blakely, E. & Poling, A. The Differential Outcomes Effect. Psychol Rec 42, 389–411 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399609

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