matching law
A quantitative principle stating that the relative rate of responding matches the relative rate of reinforcement across available behavioral alternatives.
Full Definition
The matching law is a fundamental principle of behavior analysis that describes how organisms allocate their behavior among different response alternatives. According to this law, the proportion of responses directed toward each alternative equals the proportion of reinforcement obtained from that alternative. Originally formulated by Richard Herrnstein, the matching law has been extended to describe choice behavior in complex environments and has practical applications in understanding preference patterns, treatment compliance, and intervention design. Deviations from perfect matching can provide insights into factors that influence behavioral choice beyond simple reinforcement rates.
Usage
Usage note: Emphasize the quantitative nature and relationship to choice behavior between alternatives.
In Context
- "The matching law predicted that the student would allocate more time to mathematics when reinforcement density increased for that subject." — Behavioral prediction
- "Deviations from the matching law suggested that factors other than reinforcement rate were influencing the client's treatment choices." — Data analysis