The present study aimed to compare the effects of the presentation of a rule that specifies
small and immediate reinforce, with a rule that specifies large and delayed reinforce,
manipulating the order of presentation of these rules, their presentation form (isolated or
concurrently), the form of distribution of points obtained in the study and the time interval to
exchange these points for money. 32 undergraduate participated in the research, divided
equally into two experiments that differed only by the form of distribution of points earned
and the time interval to exchange these points for money. Each experiment consisted of four
conditions. It was used a matching-to-sample procedure; the task consisted in pointing to each
one of the comparison stimuli in a given sequence. In both experiments, the Conditions 1 and
3 consisted of four experimental sessions. In Sessions 1 and 3, rules were presented separately
and at the Sessions 2 and 4 concurrently. The Conditions 2 and 4 were composed of three
sessions. In Sessions 1 and 3, rules were presented concurrently and in Session 2 separately.
The order of presentation of the rules was manipulated in each condition. In Condition 1 the
order of presentation was - RI / RIRA / RI / RIRA, in Condition 2 - RIRA / RI / RIRA, in
Condition 3 - RA / RARI / RA / RARI and in Condition 4 - RARI / RA / RARI. In
Experiment I, the delay was limited to distribution points during the session, following the
rule RI produced points during the sessions and following the rule RA produced points only at
the end of the session, the exchange points for money was at the end of research. In
Experiment II, following RI and RA produced points during the sessions, but the exchange
points for money for following RI would occur at the end of the research and for following
RA, the exchange would occur a week later. In Experiment I , 15 of the 16 participants and in
Experiment II 13 of the 16 participants followed the rule RA, independent of a prior history of
reinforcement for following the rule RI and independently of the rule RI producing points
immediately, exchanged for money at the end of research. The results of both experiments
indicate that the control by the rule that described consequences of greater magnitude, but
delayed (RA), prevailed over the control by the rule that described consequences of smaller
magnitude, but immediate (IR), even when the exchange points obtained in the sessions for
money was postponed for a week. These results suggest that the probability of occur
following rules may depend, in part, on the type of consequence related in the rule, namely, of
the formal properties of the rule, and not exclusively for reinforcement history for rulefollowing Behavior.
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