Delay discounting in rhesus monkeys: equivalent discounting of more and less preferred sucrose concentrations

Humans discount larger amounts of a delayed reinforcer less steeply than smaller amounts, but studies with pigeons and rats have yet to reveal such a magnitude effect, suggesting that the effect may be unique to humans. The present study examined whether the magnitude effect is observed in a species phylogenetically closer to humans, by comparing the rates at which rhesus monkeys discounted 10% and 20% concentrations of sucrose. There were no systematic differences in the rates at which the monkeys discounted the two sucrose concentrations, despite the fact that they strongly preferred the 20% concentration. Interestingly, the monkeys discounted delayed sucrose at a rate higher than was observed with delayed cocaine, and lower than was observed with delayed saccharin in previous studies (Freeman et al. Behavioural Processes, 82, 214-218, 2009; Woolverton et al. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 15, 238-244, 2007). Taken together, these findings suggest that although both quantitative and qualitative differences can affect monkeys' preferences between immediate reinforcers, qualitative differences between types of reinforcers (e.g., sucrose vs. cocaine) can affect monkeys' discounting rates in a way that quantitative differences within a reinforcer (e.g., 10% vs. 20% sucrose) do not.