Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Transient and Steady-state Response

Transient and Steady-state Response

In control systems, test signals are essential for evaluating performance under various conditions. The ramp function is effective for systems undergoing gradual changes, while the step function is suitable for assessing systems facing sudden disturbances. For systems subjected to shock inputs, the impulse function is the most appropriate test signal.
These test signals are integral in designing control systems to exhibit two key performance aspects: transient response and steady-state response.

Reinforcement Schedules

Reinforcement Schedules

Positive reinforcement is a powerful method for teaching new behaviors to both animals and humans. B.F. Skinner demonstrated this with his experiments using rats in a Skinner box. When a rat pressed a lever, it received a food pellet. This immediate reward encouraged the rat to repeat the behavior. This method, where a reward follows every instance of the behavior, is known as continuous reinforcement. It is highly effective for establishing new behaviors quickly.
Once a behavior is learned,...

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective.
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant factor...

Decision Making: Traditional Method

Decision Making: Traditional Method

The process of hypothesis testing based on the traditional method includes calculating the critical value, testing the value of the test statistic using the sample data, and interpreting these values.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...

Controller Configurations

Controller Configurations

Controller configurations are crucial in a car's cruise control system because they manage speed over time to maintain a consistent pace regardless of road conditions, thereby meeting design goals. In traditional control systems, fixed-configuration design involves predetermined controller placement. System performance modifications are known as compensation.
Control-system compensation involves various configurations, most commonly series or cascade compensation, in which the controller aligns...

Decision Making

Decision Making

Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive process that involves evaluating alternatives and selecting among them. This process can range from simple choices, such as deciding what to wear, to complex decisions, like choosing a major in college or a career path. The complexity of the decision often dictates the approach we use, which can be broadly categorized into two types: automatic and controlled decision-making.
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Application of a novel adjusting-concentration schedule to compare the reinforcing effectiveness of sucrose and fructose.

Behavioural processes·2025

Same author

Comparison of sucrose and maltose as reinforcers in an operant choice paradigm.

Behavioural processes·2024

Same author

Theoretical note: Quantity and concentration as co-determinants of the reinforcing value of sucrose: A re-analysis of some previously published data.

Behavioural processes·2024

Same author

Further observations on the reinforcing value of sucrose solutions: Interaction between quantity and concentration.

Behavioural processes·2023

Same author

The effect of adulteration with a bitter tastant, denatonium benzoate, on the reinforcing value of sucrose.

Behavioural processes·2022

Same author

Adulteration of sucrose with citric acid: Effect on reinforcing value, examined using an adjusting-magnitude schedule of reinforcement.

Behavioural processes·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Published on: March 17, 2019

Transitional and steady-state choice behavior under an adjusting-delay schedule.

L Valencia Torres¹, S da Costa Araújo, C M Olarte Sanchez

¹Psychopharmacology Section, Division of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

|May 5, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Rats chose between immediate small or delayed larger rewards. Results suggest a hyperbolic, not linear, relationship between reward size and value, aiding delay discounting research.

Keywords:

Fourier transform adjusting-delay schedule delay discounting intertemporal choice lever press rat reinforcer magnitude

More Related Videos

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

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat

Published on: January 23, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Published on: March 17, 2019

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

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat

Published on: January 23, 2017

Area of Science:

Behavioral neuroscience
Animal behavior
Decision-making

Background:

Intertemporal choice involves decisions with delayed rewards.
Understanding delay discounting and reinforcer value sensitivity is crucial for behavioral economics and neuroscience.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between reinforcer size and value in rats using an adjusting-delay schedule.
To estimate parameters for delay discounting and size sensitivity.
To explore oscillations in delay adjustment during training.

Main Methods:

Twelve rats completed an adjusting-delay task with varying sucrose solution amounts (14 & 25 µl vs. 25 & 100 µl).
Indifference delays were calculated to estimate delay discounting and size sensitivity parameters.
Fourier transform analyzed adjusting delays for oscillatory patterns.

Main Results:

Indifference delays were shorter with smaller reinforcer amounts, supporting a hyperbolic value function.
Estimated delay discounting rate (0.08 s⁻¹) and size sensitivity (113 µl) aligned with prior studies.
Dominant frequency oscillations (mean period 78 blocks) decreased with training.

Conclusions:

The hyperbolic model better explains reinforcer value than a linear model in this intertemporal choice task.
The experimental protocol is a viable tool for neurobehavioral studies of decision-making under delay.
Oscillatory patterns may reflect learning or adaptation processes in delay estimation.