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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Published on: January 9, 2016

Delayed reinforcement of operant behavior.

Kennon A Lattal¹

¹Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26056-6040, USA. klattal@wvu.edu

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

|August 3, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Investigating the delay of reinforcement reveals how temporal relationships between events influence operant behavior. Understanding these delays is crucial for analyzing behavior under various reinforcement schedules.

Keywords:

chained schedule delay derived principle gradient primary principle reinforcement tandem schedule temporal contiguity

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Area of Science:

Behavioral Psychology
Operant Conditioning
Animal Behavior

Background:

The delay of reinforcement is a fundamental concept in operant conditioning.
Temporal relations between responses and reinforcers significantly impact behavior.
Existing research often intertwines delay effects with other environmental variables.

Purpose of the Study:

To isolate the effects of temporal relations between responses and reinforcers.
To examine how delays in reinforcement influence operant behavior.
To interpret the role of response-reinforcer temporal relations within broader behavioral processes.

Main Methods:

Experimental analysis of operant behavior under delayed reinforcement conditions.
Controlling for confounding environmental variables often associated with delay procedures.
Comparative analysis of different delay of reinforcement schedules.

Main Results:

The impact of temporal response-reinforcer relations can be experimentally isolated.
Delay of reinforcement effects are contingent upon the specific procedural dimensions.
Interpreting delay effects requires consideration of concurrent behavioral processes.

Conclusions:

Temporal relations are critical determinants of operant behavior.
Delay of reinforcement procedures must be carefully designed to isolate temporal effects.
A comprehensive understanding of behavior necessitates accounting for multiple interacting processes.