Preference for Unsegmented Interreinforcement Intervals in Concurrent Chains

Leung, Jin-Pang; Winton, Alan S. W.

doi:10.1901/jeab.1985.44-89

Cited by 21 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…One of the implications is that if segmentation increases the psychological distance to reward then an organism will not prefer the segmented schedule to its unsegmented counterpart. This was supported by choice data from Experiment 1 and previous studies with nonhuman subjects Fantino, 1983;Leung, 1987;Leung & Winton, 1985, 1986, 1988.…”

Section: Subjectssupporting

confidence: 81%

“…First, humans showed no preference in the condition with a short terminal-link duration (10 s). Previous studies with pigeons Leung & Winton, 1985) found at least a small preference with short terminal links. Perhaps 10 s is functionally a relatively short time for humans in this procedure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…These findings were recently replicated by Leung (1987) and Leung and Winton (1985, 1986, 1988. Leung and Winton (1985) found that pigeons invariably favored a simple schedule over a segmented schedule.…”

mentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Leung and Winton (1985) found that pigeons invariably favored a simple schedule over a segmented schedule. In addition, the adverse effect of segmentation on choice was extended to schedules of variable intervals.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychological Distance to Reward: A Human Replication

Leung

1989

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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Choice behavior in college students was examined in two experiments using the concurrent-chains procedure. In both experiments, the concurrent chains were presented on a microcomputer in the form of an air-defense game in which subjects used two radar systems to detect and subsequently destroy enemy aircraft. Access to one of two radar systems was controlled by a pair of independent concurrent variable-interval 60-s schedules with a 4-s changeover delay always in effect. In the terminal link, the appearance of an enemy aircraft was determined by a pair of differentially segmented fixed-time schedules (Experiment 1) or fixed-interval schedules (Experiment 2) of equal overall duration. In Experiment 1, the terminal-link duration was either 20 s or 40 s, and subjects preferred the unsegmented to the segmented intervals. In Experiment 2, the duration was either 10 s or 60 s, and the reinforcement contingencies required responding during the terminal link. Prior to the reinstatement of the initial link, subjects estimated the duration of the terminal-link schedule. Segmentation affected choice in the 60-s conditions but not in the 10-s ones. Preference for the unsegmented schedule was correlated with an overestimation of the durations for the segmented schedules. These results replicated those found in animal experiments and support the notion of increasing the psychological distance to reward by segmenting a time-based schedule of reinforcement.Key words: preference, choice, segmentation, interval schedules, psychological distance, concurrent chains, computer game, humans Based on the observation that multiple-component chains could hardly maintain responding in laboratory animals, Fantino (1969) hypothesized that breaking up a simple schedule of reinforcement into more than one component or segment, each correlated with a discriminative stimulus, increases the "psychological distance to reward" of that schedule. A direct implication of the psychological distance hypothesis is that a simple unsegmented schedule will be preferred to its segmented counterpart in a choice situation. For example, a simple fixed-interval (FI) schedule will be chosen more often than a chained FI Fl schedule of equal overall duration to primary reinforcement.

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Section: Subjectssupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

mentioning

confidence: 76%

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confidence: 99%

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Psychological Distance to Reward: A Human Replication

Leung

1989

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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“…This COD was used in preliminary experiments with this protocol, and is similar to those used for pigeons [34]. Greater switching is associated with lower preference; the COD was used to decrease switching and maximize preference [35], increasing our ability to detect changes in preference. In Phase 4, a 10-s time-out occurred after reinforcer delivery during which all the lights shut off; responses were recorded but inconsequential.…”

Section: Behavioral Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Basolateral amygdala lesions and sensitivity to reinforcer magnitude in concurrent chains schedules

Helms

Mitchell

2008

Behavioural Brain Research

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Previous studies show that the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is required for behavior to adjust when the value of a reinforcer decreases after satiation or pairing with gastric distress. This study evaluated the effect of pre-or post-training excitotoxic lesions of the BLA on changes in preference with another type of contingency change, reinforcer magnitude reversal. Rats were trained to press left and right levers during a variable-interval choice phase for 50 µl or 150 µl sucrose delivered to consistent locations after a 16-s delay. Tones were presented during the first and last 2 s of the delay to reinforcement. The tone frequency predicted the magnitude of sucrose reinforcement in baseline conditions. All groups acquired stable preference for the lever on the large (150-µl) reinforcer side. However, nose poking during the delay to large reinforcement was highly accurate (i.e., to the reinforced side) for all groups except the rats with BLA lesions induced before training, suggesting impaired control of behavior by the tone. After the acquisition of stable preference, the locations of the reinforcer magnitudes were unpredictably reversed for a single session. Pre-training lesions blunted changes in preference when the reinforcer magnitudes were reversed. Lesions induced after stable preference was acquired, but prior to reversal, did not disrupt changes in preference. The data suggest that the BLA contributes to the adaptation of choice behavior following changes in reinforcer magnitude. Impaired learning about the tone-reinforcer magnitude relationships may have disrupted discrimination of the reinforcer magnitude reversal.

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