Metacontingencies and Ethical Self-Control: Effect of magnitudes of individual and cultural consequences

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the magnitudes of the individual and cultural consequences on the pattern of choices in situations of ethical self-control and metacontingencies. Six college students were divided into two microcultures, one with ABCAC'B'A design and another with an AC'B'ABCA design. In conditions B and B’ the magnitude of the individual consequence for impulsive responses increased while the cultural consequence diminished. In conditions C and C’ the magnitude of the cultural consequence increased and the individual consequence diminished. The results indicated the selection of a pattern of choices by the groups of both microcultures, according to the cultural consequence, with little or no influence of the manipulation of the magnitude of the consequences.

Keywords:
magnitude of the consequences; ethical self-control; metacontingency