Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Choice, changeover, and travel.

W M Baum

    Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
    |July 1, 1982
    PubMed
    Summary

    This study on pigeon behavior shows that increasing the "travel" cost between food choices reduces switching and strengthens preference. Results suggest overmatching, potentially indicating an optimization strategy in decision-making.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    Quantitative prediction and molar description of the environment.

    The Behavior analyst·2012
    Same author

    Richard J. Herrnstein: A memoir.

    The Behavior analyst·2012
    Same author

    Rules, culture, and fitness.

    The Behavior analyst·2012
    Same author

    Response to Harzem's review of modern perspectives on John B. Watson and classical behaviorism.

    The Behavior analyst·2012
    Same author

    Response to Marr's and Zuriff's reviews of understanding behaviorism: Science, behavior, and culture.

    The Behavior analyst·2012
    Same author

    Group choice: the ideal free distribution of human social behavior.

    Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2001

    Area of Science:

    • Behavioral Economics
    • Animal Cognition
    • Operant Conditioning

    Background:

    • Foraging behavior in nature involves instrumental behavior and choices between food sources (patches).
    • In laboratory settings, changeover delay (COD) typically deters switching between response alternatives.
    • This study investigates the impact of a travel requirement, analogous to COD, on choice behavior.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To examine how a travel requirement for changeover affects choice behavior in pigeons.
    • To determine if increasing travel costs influences preference and rate of switching between concurrent schedules.
    • To assess deviations from the matching law under conditions of increased changeover costs.

    Main Methods:

    • Pigeons were exposed to concurrent variable-interval schedules with an introduced travel requirement for changeover.
    • The travel requirement was systematically increased across experimental conditions.
    • Choice behavior, rate of changeover, and preference for alternatives were recorded.

    Main Results:

    • Increasing the travel requirement decreased the rate of changeover and strengthened preference for the favored alternative.
    • Small travel requirements resulted in matching and undermatching, consistent with the matching law.
    • Large travel requirements led to strong overmatching, deviating from predictions of the matching law.

    Conclusions:

    • The introduction of a travel requirement, analogous to changeover delay, significantly alters choice behavior in pigeons.
    • Results indicate that overmatching may be the norm when changeover costs are high.
    • This overmatching behavior might reflect an underlying optimization strategy in decision-making processes.

    Related Experiment Videos