ERIC Number: EJ896741
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Sep
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-5002
EISSN: N/A
Development and Maintenance of Choice in a Dynamic Environment
Rodewald, Andrew M.; Hughes, Christine E.; Pitts, Raymond C.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, v94 n2 p175-195 Sep 2010
Four pigeons were exposed to a concurrent procedure similar to that used by Davison, Baum, and colleagues (e.g., Davison & Baum, 2000, 2006) in which seven components were arranged in a mixed schedule, and each programmed a different left:right reinforcer ratio (1:27, 1:9, 1:3, 1:1, 3:1, 9:1, 27:1). Components within each session were presented randomly, lasted for 10 reinforcers each, and were separated by 10-s blackouts. These conditions were in effect for 100 sessions. When data were aggregated over Sessions 16-50, the present results were similar to those reported by Davison, Baum, and colleagues: (a) preference adjusted rapidly (i.e., sensitivity to reinforcement increased) within components; (b) preference for a given alternative increased with successive reinforcers delivered via that alternative ("continuations"), but was substantially attenuated following a reinforcer on the other alternative (a "discontinuation"); and (c) food deliveries produced "preference pulses" (immediate, local, increases in preference for the just-reinforced alternative). The same analyses were conducted across 10 session blocks for sessions 1-100. In general, the basic structure of choice revealed by analyses of data from Sessions 16-50 was preserved at a smaller level of aggregation (10 sessions), and it developed rapidly (within the first 10 sessions). Some characteristics of choice, however, changed systematically across sessions. For example, effects of successive reinforcers within a component tended to increase across sessions, as did the magnitude and length of the preference pulses. Thus, models of choice under these conditions may need to take into account variations in behavior allocation that are not captured completely when data are aggregated over large numbers of sessions. (Contains 14 figures.)
Descriptors: Behavioral Science Research, Animals, Animal Behavior, Reinforcement, Replication (Evaluation)
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
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A