Related Experiment Videos
Psychological distance to reward: A human replication.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|May 1, 1989
Summary
College students preferred unsegmented schedules over segmented ones in a choice behavior experiment. This suggests segmenting time-based reinforcement increases psychological distance to rewards, impacting decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Decision Science
- Experimental Psychology
Background:
- Understanding choice behavior is crucial in psychology and economics.
- Reinforcement schedules significantly influence decision-making processes.
- Previous research in animal models explored temporal discounting and schedule segmentation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate choice behavior in college students using a concurrent-chains procedure.
- To examine the effects of schedule segmentation on preference and duration estimation.
- To determine if findings in animal experiments generalize to human choice behavior.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments utilized a microcomputer-based air-defense game simulating radar systems.
- Concurrent variable-interval schedules controlled access to initial links.
- Differential fixed-time (Experiment 1) or fixed-interval (Experiment 2) schedules were used in terminal links, with varying durations and segmentation.
Main Results:
- In Experiment 1, participants preferred unsegmented intervals over segmented ones for 20-s and 40-s durations.
- In Experiment 2, schedule segmentation affected choice in 60-s conditions but not 10-s conditions.
- Preference for unsegmented schedules correlated with overestimation of segmented schedule durations.
Conclusions:
- Findings replicate animal experiment results, supporting the psychological distance theory.
- Segmenting time-based reinforcement schedules appears to increase perceived delay to reward.
- This study provides insights into human choice behavior and temporal perception.