Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 8, 2026
08:16
Determining Ultrasonic Vocalization Preferences in Mice using a Two-choice Playback Test
Published on: September 3, 2015
11.9K
Reinforcement uncertainty enhances preference for choice in humans
1Troy University.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|July 3, 2018
Summary
Participants prefer free choice when outcomes are uncertain but not when reinforcement is certain. Reinforcement probability significantly influences the value of choice in concurrent-chains schedules.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral psychology
- Decision-making research
Background:
- Concurrent-chains schedules of reinforcement often show a preference for free choice over forced choice.
- The influence of reinforcement probability on this preference is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how reinforcement probability affects preferences for free versus forced choice.
- To determine if the value of choice is contingent on outcome uncertainty.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a concurrent-chains schedule of reinforcement with 44 college students.
- Assessed choice preferences under two conditions: certain reinforcement (probability 1.0) and uncertain reinforcement (probability 0.5).
Main Results:
- Participants showed a preference for free choice when reinforcement was uncertain (probability 0.5).
- A bias toward free choice was not observed when reinforcement was certain (probability 1.0).
Conclusions:
- Preference for free choice is dependent on the probabilistic reinforcement contingencies.
- Reinforcement probability is a critical factor in understanding the value of choice in behavioral studies.
Related Concept Videos
04:08The Uncertainty Principle
32.6K
Werner Heisenberg considered the limits of how accurately one can measure properties of an electron or other microscopic particles. He determined that there is a fundamental limit to how accurately one can measure both a particle’s position and its momentum simultaneously. The more accurate the measurement of the momentum of a particle is known, the less accurate the position at that time is known and vice versa. This is what is now called the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. He...
32.6K
02:46Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments
53.2K
Counting is the type of measurement that is free from uncertainty, provided the number of objects being counted does not change during the process. Such measurements result in exact numbers. By counting the eggs in a carton, for instance, one can determine exactly how many eggs are there in the carton. Similarly, the numbers of defined quantities are also exact. For example, 1 foot is exactly 12 inches, 1 inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, and 1 gram is exactly 0.001 kilograms. Quantities...
53.2K
00:59Uncertainty: Overview
1.7K
In analytical chemistry, we often perform repetitive measurements to detect and minimize inaccuracies caused by both determinate and indeterminate errors. Despite the cares we take, the presence of random errors means that repeated measurements almost never have exactly the same magnitude. The collective difference between these measurements - observed values - and the estimated or expected value is called uncertainty. Uncertainty is conventionally written after the estimated or expected value.
1.7K
01:23Reinforcement
933
Positive and negative reinforcement are key concepts in operant conditioning, a learning process where the consequences of a behavior affect the likelihood of that behavior being repeated.
Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior is followed by the presentation of a rewarding stimulus, increasing the frequency of that behavior. For example:
Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior is followed by the presentation of a rewarding stimulus, increasing the frequency of that behavior. For example:
933
01:20Mate Choice
11.8K
Mate choice—the decision about whom to mate with—is a type of natural selection, since animals must reproduce to pass down their genes. Mate choice is also called intersexual selection because the behavior occurs between the sexes.
11.8K
03:34Uncertainty in Measurement: Significant Figures
83.3K
All the digits in a measurement, including the uncertain last digit, are called significant figures or significant digits. Note that zero may be a measured value; for example, if a scale that shows weight to the nearest pound reads “140,” then the 1 (hundreds), 4 (tens), and 0 (ones) are all significant (measured) values.
83.3K