Rule-Governed Behaviorย refers toย behaviorย that is controlled by verbal or written instructions, rules, or statements. Instead of learning through direct experience or consequences, the individual follows theย behaviorย based on rules they have been given.
Example
A child is told by a parent, โIf you clean your room, youโll get to watch an extra hour of TV.โ The child cleans their room without ever having experienced this consequence before, simply by following the rule. Theย behaviorย (cleaning the room) is under theย controlย of the verbal rule provided by the parent, making it rule-governedย behavior.