Schmitt, D. R. (2000).
Effects of competitive reward distribution on auditing and competitive responding.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,
74, 115-125.
This study allowed subjects to audit each other's responding
during a series of competitive contests. Six pairs of female
college students competed in 3-min contests in which the
competitive response was a knob pull. A sum of money was divided
using a proportional distribution or a 100%/0% reward
distribution. In the proportional distribution, a subject's
proportion of the sum was her proportion of the total number of
responses. Also, in every contest either subject could make a
response that would end the contest prematurely and give both
subjects the same amount: a sum equal to 33% of the competitive
total. Each subject could press either or both of two audit
buttons that displayed her own and the other's response total for
10 s. Results replicated earlier findings in showing the
superiority of the proportional distribution in total number of
competitive responses made. No subject audited continuously, and
only 1 audited most of the time. Most audits were interpersonal,
including both own and other's scores. Auditing typically was
more frequent in 100%/0% contests in which subjects were more
likely to stop the contest when they were far behind. Winners
were more likely to audit than were losers. Competitive response
rates increased when the differences revealed by audits were
small and decreased when they were large. Overall audit patterns
were consistent with the view that feedback as "news"
is more often sought when it can lead to improved outcomes.
Key words: competition, auditing, reinforcement contingencies,
reward distributions, performance feedback, knob pulls, college
students