Extending a misallocation model to children’s choice behavior.

Abstract

Nonhuman animal models show that reinforcers control behavior through what they signal about the likelihood of future events, but such control is generally imperfect. Imperfect control by the relation between past and likely future events may result from imperfect detection of those events as they occur, which result in imperfect detection of the relation between events. Such an approach would suggest the involvement of more complex psychological processes like memory in simple operant learning. We extended a research paradigm previously examined with nonhuman animals to test the ability of a quantitative model that assumes imperfect control by the relation between events arises because of (a) occasional misallocation of reinforcers to the wrong response, causing imperfect control by the relation between events; and (b) a tendency to explore or exploit which is independent of the relation between events. Children played a game in which one of two different responses could produce a reinforcer. The likelihood of a reinforcer for the same response that produced the last one varied across three conditions (.1, .5, .9). As with nonhuman animal models, children's choices followed these probabilities closely but not perfectly, suggesting strong control by what one reinforcer signals about subsequent reinforcers. Choice was well described by the quantitative model. This same model also provides a good description of nonhuman animal-model data, suggesting fundamentally similar mechanisms of control across species. These findings suggest reinforcers control behavior to the extent the relation between reinforcers can be detected-that is, simple operant learning may be more complex than is typically assumed.

Where do pigeons’ choices come from? Transfer Learning in Spiking Neural Networks for Animal Choices in Behavioral Research

“…These studies generally occur in laboratories with animals. Mathematical models have shown that animal choice behavior is orderly (Baum, 1974;Davison & Jenkins, 1985) and conforms to the same general rules as human choice (Cowie et al, 2021;Podlesnik et al, 2022). The relationship between choice and environment can be described by linear regression by analyzing choice data as logarithmic ratios of the subject responses and ratios of the reward obtained (Davison & McCarthy, 1988).…”

Comparative cognition—Conceptual and methodological advancements.

“…The next two papers study cognitive processes involved in tasks thought to engage sequence learning processes. The paper by Cowie et al (2021) focuses on a misallocation model of two-step sequence learning in young children and explores from a behavior-analytic viewpoint the implications of assuming that reinforcement might be misattributed to a misremembered response at the beginning of the behavioral sequence. Earlier studies by these authors have established some generality across other animal species of the operation of their misallocation rule.…”