Unification of models for choice between delayed reinforcers

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Decision-Making Models
• Reinforcement Theory

Background:

• Review of Fantino's delay-reduction theory and Killeen's incentive theory for choice between delayed reinforcers.
• Incentive theory is amended to include arousal effects on behaviors that may impede target reinforcement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the mathematical relationship between delay-reduction theory and an amended incentive theory.
• To determine if parametric experimental tests can differentiate between the two theoretical models.

Main Methods:

• Mathematical comparison of delay-reduction theory and an amended incentive theory.
• Application of a power series approximation to the exponential term in incentive theory.
• Correlation analysis between the two models under various experimental conditions.

Main Results:

• A power series approximation makes the amended incentive model formally identical to delay-reduction theory.
• Excellent congruence observed between the two models across different experimental scenarios.
• Models derived from both theories are unlikely to be distinguished by parametric experimental tests.

Conclusions:

• The congruence leads to the unified 'delayed reinforcement model'.
• While underlying assumptions differ, the derived models are mathematically indistinguishable.
• Comparison of the unified model with other choice models like behavioral theory of timing and melioration theory.