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Choice and foraging: the effects of accessibility on acceptability
1Department of Psychology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0109.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|November 1, 1988
Summary
Pigeons preferred outcomes based on encounter probability, not search time. Shorter search times for less profitable options decreased their acceptance, supporting optimal foraging models.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Animal Cognition
Background:
- Understanding foraging behavior is crucial for ecological studies.
- Pigeons (Columba livia) are widely used models for studying decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how pigeons make choices when faced with variable outcome accessibility.
- To differentiate the effects of encounter probability versus search time on choice behavior.
Main Methods:
- Pigeons were trained in a successive-encounters choice procedure.
- Accessibility of a less profitable outcome was manipulated via encounter probability or search time.
- Search time for the more profitable outcome remained constant.
Main Results:
- Increased probability of encountering the less profitable outcome led to its increased acceptance.
- Decreased search time for the less profitable outcome led to its decreased acceptance.
- Results were consistent across both manipulation types.
Conclusions:
- Pigeon choice behavior is sensitive to both probability and search time, but in opposing ways.
- Findings support the delay-reduction hypothesis and optimality models in foraging behavior.