This week we're researching the age-old question: Will I be happier by doing stuff or just waiting for the world to reward me? In behavioral terms, we're discussing whether humans prefer contingent or noncontingent reinforcement.  After going over two excellent research articles exploring this question through the use of the ever-popular concurrent-chains procedure, Jackie and Diana expose their crazy, right-wing politics to assess the U.S. welfare system while our favorite liberal progressive, Rob, watches in horror.

Articles discussed this episode:

Luczynksi, K.C. & Hanley, G.P.  (2009).  Do children prefer contingencies? An evaluation of the efficacy of and preference for contingent versus noncontingent social reinforcement during play.  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 42, 511-525.  doi: 10.1901/jaba.2009.42-511

Hanley, G.P., Piazza, C.C., Fisher, W.W., Contrucci, S.A., & Maglieri, K.A.  (1997).  Evaluation of client preference for function-based treatment packages.  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 30, 459-473.  doi: 10.1901/jaba.1997.30-459