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 Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

A review on the validity of animal models for neuropsychiatric disorders: an exploration of anhedonia.

Behavioural pharmacology·2025
Same author

The role of the dopamine D1 receptor in anticipatory pleasure and social play.

Neuropharmacology·2024
Same author

A fragile effect: The influence of episodic memory on delay discounting.

Quarterly journal of experimental psychology (2006)·2024
Same author

Understanding Aotearoa New Zealand University Students Intentions to Seek Help If Experiencing Mental Distress: A Comparison of Naturalistic and Interventional Findings.

International journal of environmental research and public health·2022
Same author

Dopamine D1 receptor and effort-based decision making in rats: The moderating effect of sex.

Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry·2022
Same author

The role of dopamine D1 receptors in MDMA-induced memory impairments.

Neurobiology of learning and memory·2020
Same journal

Flexible Time-Series Analysis: A Dynamically Aware Method for Inferring Directed Dependencies in Behavioral Data.

Behavioural processes·2026
Same journal

Effects of group size and landmarks on escape behavior of three fish species.

Behavioural processes·2026
Same journal

Vocal individuality in two sympatric seabird species: The role of developmental strategy, analytical approach and sample size.

Behavioural processes·2026
Same journal

No evidence of sex-specific responses to chemosensory risk assessment cues in Harts rivulus.

Behavioural processes·2026
Same journal

Exploratory responses of rats to cage-mates and conspecifics from another cage in a habituation-dishabituation paradigm with multiple habituation stimuli.

Behavioural processes·2026
Same journal

Observation of drinking behaviour in the Ursus arctos marsicanus at a tree cavity (dendrotelm) in the central Apennines.

Behavioural processes·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance
13:20

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance

Published on: December 5, 2025

Human performance on a two-alternative rapid-acquisition choice task.

Celia Lie1, David N Harper, Maree Hunt

  • 1School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. celia.lie@vuw.ac.nz

Behavioural Processes
|November 19, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Human choice behavior quickly adapted to changing reinforcement schedules, showing preferences for recently rewarded options. This study adapted a procedure used with animals to examine human operant behavior on a fine-grained timescale.

More Related Videos

The 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task: A Task of Attention and Impulse Control for Rodents
09:43

The 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task: A Task of Attention and Impulse Control for Rodents

Published on: August 10, 2014

A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons
07:13

A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons

Published on: November 9, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance
13:20

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance

Published on: December 5, 2025

The 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task: A Task of Attention and Impulse Control for Rodents
09:43

The 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task: A Task of Attention and Impulse Control for Rodents

Published on: August 10, 2014

A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons
07:13

A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons

Published on: November 9, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Experimental Analysis of Behavior
  • Human Operant Conditioning

Background:

  • Davison and Baum (2000) developed a concurrent-schedule procedure to study choice behavior in variable environments.
  • This procedure, previously used with pigeons and rats, involves different reinforcer ratios across session components separated by black-outs.
  • Previous research indicated rapid behavioral adaptation and local effects of reinforcers on responding.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To adapt the Davison and Baum concurrent-schedule procedure for studying human choice behavior.
  • To investigate the effects of varying reinforcer ratios on human decision-making within a single session.
  • To analyze human operant behavior on a local timescale.

Main Methods:

  • Eighteen human participants were exposed to a modified concurrent-schedule procedure.
  • Four different reinforcer ratios were presented within a single 50-minute session.
  • Behavioral data were analyzed on a local timescale to examine immediate effects of reinforcement.

Main Results:

  • Participants demonstrated increased sensitivity to reinforcer ratios within session components.
  • A preference was observed for the response alternative that was most recently reinforced.
  • Findings were comparable to those observed in non-human animal experiments using similar procedures.

Conclusions:

  • The adapted Davison and Baum procedure effectively studied human choice behavior under variable reinforcement.
  • Human participants exhibited rapid adaptation and local reinforcement effects similar to animal models.
  • Local timescale analyses offer a novel approach for examining human operant behavior.