Effects of Self-Instruction on Rule-Breaking Behavior

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Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to analyze factors related to the control of motor behavior by self-instruction and to replicate O'Leary's (1968) finding on the effectiveness of self-instruction in reducing rule-breaking behavior. The length of the temporal interval between the self-instruction and the opportunity to break the rules, and the amount of prior training in self-instruction were the variables under study. The effectiveness of self-instruction in reducing rule-breaking behavior was demonstrated in Exp. I, but no differences were found between groups which instructed either 1 or 9 sec. before the opportunity to respond motorically. As assessed by group differences in Exp. II, there was no evidence for the effectiveness of self-instruction or for the amount of prior training in self-instruction. However, in Exp. II, as in Exp. I, there were strong and significant correlations between the frequency of self-instruction and the absence of rule-breaking behavior. In addition, a serendipitous finding in Exp. II suggests that the effects of self-instruction may generalize to forms of rule-breaking behavior other than those explicitly proscribed.