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Procrastination by pigeons with fixed-interval response requirements

J E Mazur1

  • 1Psychology Department, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, USA. mazur@scsu.ctstateu.edu

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|April 16, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Pigeons demonstrate procrastination by choosing larger, delayed rewards over smaller, immediate ones. This study explored how delays affect their choices, revealing symmetrical effects of delayed rewards and response requirements.

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Animal Cognition
  • Decision-Making

Background:

  • Procrastination involves choosing larger, delayed rewards over smaller, immediate ones.
  • Pigeons exhibit this behavior under specific fixed-interval schedules with delayed food reinforcers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the phenomenon of procrastination in pigeons.
  • To quantify the indifference point between immediate and delayed response requirements.
  • To analyze the impact of delay duration on choice behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized an adjusting-delay procedure to vary delays to fixed-interval schedules.
  • Pigeons' choices between smaller, immediate, and larger, delayed response requirements were recorded.
  • Two experiments manipulated delay parameters to estimate indifference points.

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Main Results:

  • Increased delay to a shorter fixed-interval requirement led to an increased adjusting delay for a longer fixed-interval requirement.
  • The rate of this increase was dependent on the duration of the longer fixed-interval requirement.
  • Pigeons showed a preference for fixed delays over mixed delays to response requirements.

Conclusions:

  • Findings help refine mathematical models of delayed reward effectiveness.
  • Delayed reinforcers and delayed response requirements exert symmetrical but opposing influences on choice.
  • This research provides insights into the fundamental mechanisms of choice and delay discounting.