THE APPLIED IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH ON THE MATCHING LAW

In this essay, we evaluate the applied implications of two articles re lated to the matching law and published in the Journal of the Experime ntal Analysis of Behavior, May 1994. Building on Mace's (1994) criteri a for increasing the applied relevance of basic research, we evaluate the applied implications of basic research studies. Research by Elsmor e and McBride (1994) and Savastano and Fantino (1994) involve an exten sion of the behavioral model of choice. Elsmore and McBride used rats as subjects, but arranged a multioperant environment that resembles so me of the complex contingencies of human behavior. Savastino and Fanti no used human subjects and extended the matching law to ratio and inte rval contingencies. These experiments contribute to a growing body of knowledge on the matching law and its relevance for human behavior.