Switch Hitting in Baseball: Apparent Rule‐following, Not Matching

Abstract

Many studies, including some dealing with shot selection in basketball and play selection in football, demonstrate that the generalized matching equation provides a good description of the allocation of time and effort to alternative responses as a function of the consequences of those alternatives. We examined whether it did so with respect to left- and right-handed at bats (alternative responses) and left- and right-handed total bases earned, runs batted in, and home runs (three consequences) for the outstanding baseball switch-hitters Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray, and Pete Rose. With all hitters, undermatching, suggesting insensitivity to the consequences of behavior (reinforcement), was evident and there was substantial bias towards left-handed at bats. These players apparently chose handedness based on the rule "bat opposite the pitcher," not on differential consequences obtained in major league games. The present findings are significant in representing a counter-instance of demonstrations of a matching relationship in sports in particular and in human behavior in general and in calling attention to the need for further study of the variables that affect choice.

Short-Term Outcomes of Concussions in Major League Baseball: A Historical Cohort Study of Return to Play, Performance, Longevity, and Financial Impact

“…Major league hitters are most commonly evaluated based on batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. 10 , 19 , 23 Overall, position players had a significant decrease in batting average, on-base percentage, and stolen bases compared with those who took nonmedical leave, although catchers did not have a significant change in any performance metrics. The changes, although statistically significant, may or may not be meaningful from a performance standpoint (eg, 0.024 decrease in batting average for players after SRC).…”

Application of the matching law to Mixed Martial Arts

“…Given that “perfect” matching (i.e., slope is equal to 1) is rarely observed in research, this allows for an analysis of data that is easier to interpret (Reed & Kaplan, ). Researchers have demonstrated applications of the GME in team sports such as baseball (Cox, Sosine, & Dallery, ; Poling, Weeden, Redner, & Foster, ), basketball (Alferink, Critchfield, & Hitt, ; Romanowich, Bourret, & Vollmer, ; Schenk & Reed, ; Vollmer & Bourret, ), football (Critchfield & Stilling, ; Falligant, Boomhower, & Pence, ; Reed, Critchfield, & Martens, ; Stilling & Critchfield, ), and hockey (Seniuk, Williams, Reed, & Wright, ). These studies have demonstrated that the GME describes choice in athletic competition (Critchfield & Reed, ; Reed & Kaplan, ) and have advanced research on the matching law by focusing on using interpretations of sensitivity (i.e., overmatching, undermatching, and bias) to explain the role of specific contextual variables termed explanatory flexibility (Stilling & Critchfield, ), and how matching may predict athletic success (Alferink et al, ; Seniuk et al, ).…”

“…For example, in baseball a turn at bat resembles a discrete trial in that the antecedent of a pitcher throwing a pitch evokes the behavior of the batter swinging (or not) at the ball which is then followed by the consequence of either hitting or missing the ball. Each pitch is an opportunity to swing and has the potential to produce a measureable outcome (Poling et al, ). A few studies have applied the GME to individual athlete behavior (Alferink et al, ; Poling et al, ; Seniuk et al, ) in the context of a team sport.…”

“…Each pitch is an opportunity to swing and has the potential to produce a measureable outcome (Poling et al, ). A few studies have applied the GME to individual athlete behavior (Alferink et al, ; Poling et al, ; Seniuk et al, ) in the context of a team sport. However, no prior studies have examined whether the matching law can account for response allocation in an individual sport.…”

Choice Dynamics in Concurrent Ratio Schedules of Reinforcement

“…A basic principle of behavioral economics is that the value of some commodity In addition to the conceptual considerations of applying the matching law to choice amongst ratio schedules, studying choice when reinforcers depend on response requirements may have implications for how humans allocate behavior in nonlaboratory environments aside from those discussed in the previous paragraph. For example, researchers have applied the generalized matching law to behavior allocation in sports including basketball (Vollmer & Bourret, 2000), baseball (Poling, Weeden, Redner, and Foster, 2011), and football (Reed, Critchfield, & Martens, 2006). There are many concurrent choice arrangements in athletics, and the generalized matching law has been successful at describing the behavior of athletes.…”