Saving the Best for Last? A Cross-Species Analysis of Choices between Reinforcer Sequences
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| Title: | Saving the Best for Last? A Cross-Species Analysis of Choices between Reinforcer Sequences |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Andrade, Leonardo F., Hackenberg, Timothy D. |
| Source: | Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Jul 2012 98(1):45-64. |
| Availability: | Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Available from: Indiana University Department of Psychology. Bloomington, IN 47405-1301. Tel: 812-334-0395; FAX: 812-855-4691; e-mail: jeab@indiana.edu; Web site: http://seab.envmed.rochester.edu/jeab/index.html |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Physical Description: | |
| Page Count: | 20 |
| Publication Date: | 2012 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Reinforcement, Token Economy, Animals, Undergraduate Students, Selection, Preferences, Sequential Approach, Comparative Analysis |
| ISSN: | 0022-5002 |
| Abstract: | Two experiments were conducted to compare choices between sequences of reinforcers in pigeon (Experiment 1) and human (Experiment 2) subjects, using functionally analogous procedures. The subjects made pairwise choices among 3 sequence types, all of which provided the same overall reinforcement rate, but differed in their temporal patterning. Token reinforcement schedules were used in both experiments and the type of exchange schedule varied across blocks of sessions. Some conditions permitted immediate exchange of tokens for consumable reinforcers (food for pigeons, video access for humans); in other conditions, tokens accumulated and were exchanged for consumable reinforcers only at the end of the sequence. Choice patterns in the immediate-exchange conditions were generally similar across species, with both pigeons and humans preferring sequences with the shortest delay to the initial reinforcer in the series. The results are broadly consistent with models of temporal discounting expanded to include the impact of sequences of delayed reinforcers acting in parallel from the time of the choice. Preferences were less consistent with discounting models in the delayed exchange conditions. Questionnaire data gathered at the end of the experiment were consistent with prior results of questionnaire studies, but showed no straightforward relation to the observed choice patterns, urging caution in the extrapolation of results from one decision-making domain to the other. (Contains 2 tables and 8 figures.) |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 39 |
| Entry Date: | 2012 |
| Access URL: | https://seab.envmed.rochester.edu/jeab/toc/2012/jeabjuly12.php |
| Accession Number: | EJ980448 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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