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Preference for free choice over forced choice in pigeons
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|July 1, 1980
Summary
Organisms consistently prefer free choice over forced choice when selecting between reinforcement options. This preference for choice may be learned or an evolved survival trait.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Animal Behavior
- Operant Conditioning
Background:
- Concurrent-chain schedules of reinforcement are used to study choice behavior.
- Terminal links in these schedules can be arranged in free or forced choice configurations.
- Understanding preference in choice situations is crucial for behavioral analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate preference between free-choice and forced-choice terminal links in concurrent-chain schedules.
- To examine how the arrangement and properties of terminal links influence choice preference.
- To explore potential ontogenic and phylogenic origins of choice preference.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a six-key chamber with variable-interval initial links and concurrent-chain schedules.
- Terminal links involved four upper keys: green (fixed-interval reinforcement) and red (extinction).
- Compared preference (initial-link rates) under free-choice (3 green, 1 red) and forced-choice (1 green, 3 red) conditions.
Main Results:
- Free choice was consistently preferred over forced choice, irrespective of key location or color.
- Preference magnitude did not systematically correlate with terminal-link response rates.
- Stimulus control by green (reinforcement) and red (extinction) keys did not significantly alter preference.
Conclusions:
- Organisms exhibit a robust preference for free choice over forced choice in this experimental paradigm.
- This preference may stem from learned associations or be a product of evolutionary selection.
- The findings contribute to understanding the fundamental nature of choice and preference in behavior.