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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents
Published on: September 10, 2018
On loss aversion in capuchin monkeys
Alan Silberberg1, Peter G Roma, Mary E Huntsberry
1American University, Washington, DC 20016-8062, USA. asilber@american.edu
Abstract:
Chen, Lakshminarayanan, and Santos (2006) claim to show in three choice experiments that monkeys react rationally to price and wealth shocks, but, when faced with gambles, display hallmark, human-like biases that include loss aversion. We present three experiments with monkeys and humans consistent with a reinterpretation of their data that attributes their results not to loss aversion, but to differences between choice alternatives in delay of reinforcement.
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