Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026
08:24
The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
The psychological distance to reward
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|July 1, 1972
Summary
Pigeons showed a preference for simple schedules over chained schedules, even when the overall reward timing was the same. This preference for simple schedules increased with longer durations.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Animal Cognition
- Operant Conditioning
Background:
- Organisms often make choices between different reinforcement schedules.
- Understanding choice behavior is crucial for behavioral psychology.
- Chaining operations can alter the perceived value of schedules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate pigeons' preference between simple and chained fixed-interval schedules.
- To determine how schedule structure affects choice behavior.
- To examine the impact of interreinforcement intervals on schedule preference.
Main Methods:
- Pigeons were presented with concurrent initial-link stimuli leading to different terminal-link schedules.
- Experiment 1 compared a simple fixed-interval schedule with a two-component chained fixed-interval schedule.
- Experiment 2 compared two-component vs. three-component chained fixed-interval schedules.
Main Results:
- Pigeons preferred the simple fixed-interval schedule over the chained schedule when interreinforcement intervals were equal.
- Preference for the simple schedule increased as terminal-link durations lengthened.
- Preference for a two-component chain over a three-component chain was observed, though less consistently.
Conclusions:
- The chaining of schedules significantly reduces their attractiveness compared to simple schedules.
- Schedule structure, not just interreinforcement interval, plays a critical role in choice behavior.
- These findings have implications for understanding decision-making in animals.
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