The effects of reinforcing concurrent behavior on self-monitoring

Each of 12 subjects served in three experimental conditions involving selfmonitoring of respiration, responding on a multiple FI 15″-VI 15″ schedule of reinforcement to produce steady states of lever pressing, and concurrent selfmonitoring and operant conditioning. Lever pressing was always reinforced, selfmonitoring was not. The percentage of self-monitoring errors more than doubled during the concurrent situation compared to self-monitoring alone. Increase in self-monitoring errors was associated with a decrease in response efficiency during VI schedule components. Also, self-monitoring was associated with decreased respiration rates, independent of increased monitoring errors. These results replicate the reactive effects of self-monitoring and indicate the importance of assessing the concurrent environmental demands when using self-monitoring as a treatment or in the evaluation of therapeutic effects.