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Related Experiment Videos

Stock optimizing in choice when a token deposit is the operant.

J J Widholm1, A Silberberg, S R Hursh

  • 1Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Illinois, Urbana 61802, USA. jwidholm@uiuc.edu

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|January 5, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Monkeys prioritize earning more food items, even if it means a slower overall rate of reinforcement. They demonstrated "stock optimizing" behavior, choosing options that maximized total reinforcers earned per session.

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Economics
  • Animal Behavior
  • Operant Conditioning

Background:

  • Understanding decision-making processes in non-human primates is crucial for comparative psychology.
  • Previous research has explored factors influencing choice behavior under various reinforcement schedules.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether monkeys prioritize the rate of reinforcement or the total number of reinforcers earned.
  • To examine how different reinforcement schedules influence choice behavior in monkeys.

Main Methods:

  • Two monkeys were presented with choices between two token-deposit slots.
  • Slots were associated with different fixed-ratio (FR) and variable-interval (VI) schedules of food reinforcement.
  • One slot returned the deposited token, while the other kept it.

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Main Results:

  • Monkeys initially preferred the token-returned slot, which offered a higher rate of reinforcement.
  • Preference shifted to the token-kept slot when the potential total reinforcers were significantly higher, despite a lower reinforcement rate.
  • Monkeys consistently chose schedules that maximized the total number of food pellets obtained.

Conclusions:

  • Monkeys exhibit 'stock optimizing' behavior, prioritizing the maximization of total earned reinforcers over reinforcement rate.
  • This suggests a sophisticated economic decision-making process in primates, balancing immediate reward rate with overall gain.