1. Choice Behavior Two

2. Complex Choice In a concurrent schedule of reinforcement,
two (or more) response alternatives are available at the same time
the subject is free to switch from one to the other at any time
Just like potluck dinners
However, in some (real-life) situations, choosing one alternative makes other alternatives unavailable.
Where to go on vacation
Which movie to watch in a multiplex
Whom to marry
In these cases, the choice may involve assessing complex, long-range goals.
Concurrent-chain schedule of reinforcement see Figure 6.6
Choice link is a concurrent (A) VI 3 min vs (B) FI 3 min
If Response A then VI 3 min schedule in terminal link
If Response B then FI 3 min schedule in terminal link

3. No Switching Figure 6.6 – Diagram of a concurrent-chain schedule.
The Principles of Learning and Behavior, 7e by Michael Domjan
Copyright © 2015 Wadsworth Publishing, a division of Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

4. Differences in delay, not ratios, control choice in concurrent chains (1996) Savastano and Fantino
Figure 1

5. Complex Choice Choice with commitment Used to study
Can not switch keys during terminal link
Terminal Link stays in effect for fixed period of time
Pattern of responding reflects the schedule of reinforcement
Used to study
preference between reinforcement schedules
Pigeons prefer VI 3min over a FI 3min see fig 6.6
delay of reinforcers in the terminal link
Conditioned reinforcers
"self-control“ by combining different delays with different reward values

6. Self Control
Self-regulation of one's behavior in accordance with personal beliefs, goals, attitudes and societal expectations.
Choosing a large delayed reward over an immediate small reward.
Which would you prefer?
You can have $25 today or $25 a year from now?
Subjective Value of $25 decreases the longer you have to wait for it
Can determine subjective value of $25 with a series of comparisons
You can have $20 today or $25 a year from now?
You can have $15 today or $25 a year from now?
You can have $10 today or $25 a year from now?
Humans have more self-control then other animals and adults show more control then children.
Choice of cake now or good health in the “future”

7. Self Control
Concurrent chain schedules have been used to study ‘self-control’ in the lab with procedures for choosing a large delayed reward over an immediate small reward.
Value discounting function
value of a reward decreases with delay
Example of value discounting in humans “college students”
Choice between favorite juice in either 16 ml or 8 ml size
As the delay gets longer the value decreases
More decrease for the smaller 8 ml size
See Figure 6.7
Value of a reinforcer is directly related to magnitude and inversely related to delay in delivery

8. FIGURE 6.7
The subjective value of 16 ml and 8 ml of juice as a function of delay in college students. Curves represent best-fitting hyperboloid functions (based on Jimura et al., 2009).
The Principles of Learning and Behavior, 7e by Michael Domjan
Copyright © 2015 Wadsworth Publishing, a division of Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

9. Self Control Why not always choose the smaller reward?
Some delayed rewards are large enough that they are worth waiting for
If you need to wait for the small reward it also decreases in value
Crossover of discounting functions see Figure 6.8
Both the small and large rewards loose value with delay
If the delay for the small reward is long it decreases in value
And if the large reward is really large it retains more value than the small reward
at T1; a short time to small reward - impulsive choice of small reward
at T2: longer wait time - value of large reward greater than the small reward

10. Figure 6.8 – Hypothetical relations between reward value and waiting time to reward delivery for a small reward and a large reward presented some time later.
The Principles of Learning and Behavior, 7e by Michael Domjan
Copyright © 2015 Wadsworth Publishing, a division of Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

11. Self Control Change in delay function with age
Compare Young adults to Senior adults
Hypothetical monetary reward after some delay
Young adults have a steeper discount function
See Figure 6.9
The Principles of Learning and Behavior, 7e by Michael Domjan
Copyright © 2015 Wadsworth Publishing, a division of Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

12. FIGURE 6.9
Delay discounting for hypothetical monetary rewards among college students and senior adults (mean age 71). Notice that the rate of discounting is significantly slower among the older participants (based on Jimura et al., 2011).
The Principles of Learning and Behavior, 7e by Michael Domjan
Copyright © 2015 Wadsworth Publishing, a division of Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

13. Self Control Individual difference in delay function
Self control in Drug Addiction: Madden et al. (1997)
heroin-dependent vs nondependent matched controls
smaller amount immediately or $1000 in the future
delay time to $1000 was varied (1 week to 25 years)
heroine-dependent individuals had a steeper discount function
Steeper discount function in childhood is predictive of drug abuse
Has the same stability as personality traits
Important aspect of achievement such as grades in school
Impatience and Grades (Kirby, 2005)
procedure
bid real money in auctions for real delayed rewards
two delayed reward amounts, large ($20) and small $(10)
delay ranging from 1 to 43 days
Discount rates were consistently negatively correlated with GPA
Steeper discount rates predicted lower academic performance
The Principles of Learning and Behavior, 7e by Michael Domjan
Copyright © 2015 Wadsworth Publishing, a division of Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

14. Can Self Control be Trained?
Nonhuman animals and children behave more impulsively then adults in experimental situation
adults have advanced verbal abilities
adults have more experience with reinforcement
Improve self-control with training
by gradually increasing delays to the larger reward
or gradually decreasing delays to the smaller reinforcer
but impulsive behavior may begin to recur
so require the participant to perform distracting activities such as talking or singing

15. Using a self-control training procedure to increase appropriate behavior
Dixon (1998)
Working with adult mentally disabled adults
To improve self-control
Leaving there chairs or not completing training exercises
Multiple baseline across participants design see figure 1
Naturalistic baseline
Choice baseline between smaller and larger reward
Self-control training treatment
gradual progressive-duration was introduced on the larger reinforcer