1984, 41, 53-67
JOURNAL OF THE EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR
NUMBER
I
UANUARY)
CHOICE IN A SELF-CONTROL PARADIGM:
QUANTIFICATION OF EXPERIENCE-BASED
DIFFERENCES
A. W. LOGUE, MONICA L. RODRIGUEZ, TELMO E. PE&A-CORREAL,
AND BENJAMIN C. MAURO
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT STONY BROOK
Previous quantitative models of choice in a self-control paradigm (choice between a larger,
more-delayed reinforcer and a smaller, less-delayed reinforcer) have not described individual differences. Two experiments are reported that provide additional quantitative data
on experience-based differences in choice between reinforcers of varying sizes and delays.
In Experiment 1, seven pigeons in a self-control paradigm were exposed to a fading procedure that increased choices of the larger, more-delayed reinforcer through gradually
decreasing the delay to the smaller of two equally delayed reinforcers. Three control subjects, exposed to each of the small-reinforcer delays to which the experimental subjects
were exposed, but for fewer sessions, demonstrated that lengthy exposure to each of the
conditions in the fading procedure may be necessary in order for the increase to occur.
In Experiment 2, pigeons with and without fading-procedure exposure chose between reinforcers of varying sizes and delays scheduled according to a concurrent variable-interval
variable-interval schedule. In both experiments, pigeons with fading-procedure exposure
were more sensitive to variations in reinforcer size than reinforcer delay when compared
with pigeons without this exposure. The data were described by the generalized matching
law when the relative size of its exponents, representing subjects' relative sensitivity to
reinforcer size and delay, were grouped according to subjects' experience.
Key words: self-control, individual differences, matching law, delay of reinforcement,
amount of reinforcement, key peck, pigeons
forcer and a smaller, less-delayed reinforcer
(e.g., Ainslie, 1974; Grosch & Neuringer, 1981;
Rachlin & Green, 1972). Animals, like humans,
sometimes choose the larger, more-delayed reinforcer, and sometimes the smaller, less-delayed reinforcer. Individual animal subjects
exposed to identical conditions in a self-control experiment may or may not choose the
larger, more-delayed reinforcer. For example,
in Ainslie's (1974) experiment, pigeons could
make a response that would commit them to a
later choice of the larger, more-delayed reinforcer. Three out of 10 pigeons learned to
make this response.
Other experiments with animals have shown
that it is possible to increase the probability
of subjects choosing the larger, more-delayed
reinforcer by introducing the shorter or longer
delays gradually (Eisenberger, Masterson, &
Lowman, 1982; Fantino, 1966; Ferster, 1953;
Logue & Mazur, 1981; Mazur & Logue, 1978).
Mazur and Logue (1978) first gave pigeons the
opportunity to choose between 6 s of food delayed 6 s, and 2 s of food delayed 6 s. The
pigeons chose the 6-s reinforcer delayed 6 s.
Then, over about a year's time and about
A self-control paradigm has been defined by
many researchers working with animals as a
choice between a larger, more-delayed reinThis research was supported in part by NIMH Grant
1 R03 MH 36311-01 to the State University of New
York at Stony Brook, and by a University Award from
the State University of New York to A. W. Logue. Monica L. Rodriguez is supported by the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. Telmo E. Pefia-Correal was
supported by the Universidad de los Andes, Bogota,
Colombia. We thank the many students who assisted in
conducting these experiments and analyzing the data,
particularly Suzanne Burmeister, Frank Catala, Andrew
Lerner, Maria Patestas, Lee Rosen, Leonore Woltjer,
and Maryanne Yamaguchi. Suggestions and comments
on previous drafts of this paper by David Cross, Michael Davison, John Gibbon, Marcia Johnson, and
Howard Rachlin are also very much appreciated. Some
of the data reported in Experiment 2 were presented
at the Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society,
Philadelphia, November 1981. Some of the data reported in Experiments 1 and 2 were presented at the
Fifth Harvard Symposium on Quantitative Analyses of
Behavior: The Effect of Delay and of Intervening
Events on Reinforcement Value, Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 1982. Requests for reprints should be
sent to A. W. Logue, Department of Psychology, State
University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook,
New York 11794.
53
A. W. LOGUE et al.
54
11,000 trials, Mazur and Logue slowly decreased the delay to the 2-s reinforcer until it
was 0 s. The pigeons exposed to this fading
procedure (see Terrace, 1966) continued to
choose the 6-s reinforcer significantly more
often than did pigeons without this exposure.
Any quantitative model purporting to account for choice between reinforcers of varying
sizes and delays must include individual differences. However, the two most prevalent quantitative models for describing such choices, the
delay-reduction model (Fantino, 1969, 1977;
Fantino & Navarick, 1974; Navarick & Fantino, 1976; Squires & Fantino 1971) and the
matching law (Ainslie & Herrnstein, 1981;
Rachlin, 1970, 1974, 1976; Rachlin & Green,
1972), include parameters only for the actual
physical characteristics of the reinforcer (e.g.,
amounts, frequencies, and delays). For example, in the generalized version of the matching
law (Baum, 1974b),
B2
(V2)
'
(1)
where Bi represents the number of choices of
reinforcer i, Vi represents the value of reinforcer i (Baum & Rachlin, 1969), and the parameter k represents a response bias to choose
Alternative 1 (when k is greater than 1.0), or
Alternative 2 (when k is less than 1.0). The
parameters k and a are often calculated using
individual subjects' data, but the calculations
are usually performed in this way only because
data combined across subjects can yield parameter values that are quite different from any of
those for the individual subjects. The purpose
of these parameters has not been to describe
individual differences (but see Herrnstein,
1981b, for one way in which the matching law
could be modified to describe individual differences in a self-control paradigm).
At first a was assumed to deviate from 1.0
only when subjects lacked ideal information
about the experiment (de Villiers, 1977). Several researchers have recently proposed that
the value of a depends on the nature of the
experimental situation (e.g., Davison, 1982;
Keller & Gollub, 1977) and on the particular continuum (reinforcer amount, delay, frequency, etc.) represented by Vi (e.g., Herrnstein, 1981a; Rachlin, Battalio, Kagel, &
Green, 1981; Wearden, 1980). The parameter
a represents subjects' sensitivity to variations
in V, (Davison, 1982). Thus, the usual matching law model for self-control,
B2
A2D1
'
(2)
in which Ai represents the amount or size of
reinforcer i, and Di its delay (Ainslie, 1975;
Mazur & Logue, 1978; Rachlin & Green, 1972),
would become
B= k (A
(\
I
(3)
where SA represents a subject's sensitivity to
variations in the size of a reinforcer, and SD itS
sensitivity to variations in the delay of a reinforcer (see Davison, 1982; Green & Snyderman,
1980; Hamblin & Miller, 1977; Hunter &c Davison, 1982; Miller, 1976; Schneider, 1973; and
Todorov, 1973, for further examples of the
matching law used with more than one continuum and exponent). Except in some cases
of individual subjects, Equations 1 and 2 have
provided a good description of choice, including choice in a self-control paradigm, when reinforcers are qualitatively similar and are delivered according to certain schedules, notably
simple or simple-concurrent ratio or interval
schedules (Ainslie & Herrnstein, 1981; de Villiers, 1977; Green, Fisher, Perlow, & Sherman,
1981; Logue Sc Mazur, 1981; Mazur & Logue,
1978). If SA and SD were calculated for individual subjects, and if the values of these individually calculated exponents were found to vary
predictably given specific variations in the subjects' genetic background or experience, Equation 3 could also provide an orderly account
of individual subjects' data (Logue & Mazur,
1979; cf. Green & Snyderman, 1980; Ito &
Asaki, 1982).
The overall purpose of the present experiments was to explore a use for the quantitative model of choice between reinforcers of
varying size and delay represented by Equation 3, that of describing individual differences, through collection of additional quantitative data on experience-based differences
in choice within a self-control paradigm. Experiment 1 examined the increase in choices
of the larger, more-delayed reinforcer in pigeons using Mazur and Logue's (1978) fading
procedure. Experiment 2 compared some of
these pigeons' sensitivity to variations in reinforcer delay and reinforcer size with that of
EXPERIENCE-BASED DIFFERENCES IN SELF-CONTROL
55
force of .17 N to operate and could be transilluminated red or green. A food hopper
below the keys provided access to mixed grain
when lit by two number 1819 bulbs and when
EXPERIMENT 1
a Plexiglas door was raised. The food hopExperiment 1 had three specific purposes. per was also continuously lit by one 1.1-W
The first of these was to replicate Mazur and light. A chamber could be illuminated by two
Logue's (1978) use of their fading procedure 7.5-W white lights, one 7.5-W red light, or one
to increase choices of the larger, more-delayed 7.5-W green light. These lights shone through
reinforcer in a self-control paradigm with pi- a Plexiglas-covered hole in the aluminum ceilgeons. The second was to examine choice in a ing of the chamber. Each chamber was enself-control paradigm in a control group dif- closed in a sound-attenuating box. Each box
ferent from the one reported in Mazur and contained an air blower for ventilation that
Logue. Mazur and Logue's control subjects also helped to mask extraneous sounds. A
were exposed to only the initial and final con- PDP-8/L computer in another room, using a
ditions to which the experimental subjects SUPERSKED program, controlled the stimuli
were exposed, and thus controlled for whether and recorded responses.
any exposure to the fading procedure is necessary to increase choices of the larger, more- Procedure
delayed reinforcer. The present control group
The pigeons were first trained to peck using
controlled for the degree of exposure to the an autoshaping procedure. The subsequent
conditions of the fading procedure that is nec- procedure was similar to that used by Mazur
essary to increase choices of the larger, more- and Logue (1978). Each session consisted of 34
delayed reinforcer. These control subjects trials - 31 choice trials and 3 no-choice trials.
were briefly exposed to each of the conditions At the beginning of each choice trial, the left
to which the experimental subjects were ex- key was transilluminated green and the right
posed. Finally, Experiment 1 served to prepare key was transilluminated red. The chamber
some subjects for use in Experiment 2, in was illuminated with white light. A peck on
which the sensitivity to variations in reinforcer one key was followed by a feedback click,
size and delay was compared in subjects with turned both keys dark, and led to a 6-s delay
and without exposure to the fading procedure. period, followed by a 6-s reinforcement period
of access to grain. A peck on the other key was
METHOD
followed by a feedback click, turned both keys
Subjects
dark, and led to a delay period (specified beTen adult, experimentally naive, White low) followed by a 2-s reinforcement period.
Carneaux pigeons, numbered 70, 71, 99, 100, Only the green overhead light was lit during
101, 102, 104, 105, 106, and 107, served in this the delay and reinforcement periods following
experiment. They were maintained at 80%0 of a green-key peck, and only the red overhead
their free-feeding weights. An additional sub- light was lit during the delay and reinforceject, number 103, had to be dropped from the ment periods following a red-key peck. Pecks
experiment due to illness during the fourth on dark keys were not followed by feedback
condition; the data from this subject are not and had no effect.
reported below. Pigeons 100 to 102 were
The no-choice trials required the pigeons to
placed in Group A, Pigeons 104 to 107 in respond on the key associated with the 2-s reinGroup B, and Pigeons 70, 71, and 99 in Group forcer; only that key was lit, and pecking it led
C.
to the same sequence of events as on a choice
trial. Pecks on the other key had no conseApparatus
quences. The no-choice trials occurred on
The experiment was conducted in three trials 10, 20, and 30.
identical experimental chambers. Each chamDuring intertrial intervals the white overber was 32 cm long, 32 cm wide, and 30 cm head lights were lit. Intertrial intervals varied
high. Two response keys were mounted on one so that each trial occurred 1 min after the bewall, 21 cm above the floor of the chamber, ginning of the previous trial as long as the
12.5 cm apart. These keys required a minimum subject's response latency was less than 48 s.
pigeons that had not been exposed to the fading procedure.
A. W. LOGUE et al.
56
Table 1
Order of Conditions in Experiment 1
Delay to Small
Reinforcer (sec)a
Number of Sessions
Group A Group B
Group C
10
3
3
3
2.75
23
19
3
2.5
3
24
2.25
23
3
45
2.0
27
3
23
12
1.75
3
20
27
1.50
3
31
19
1.25
31
3
20
1.0
3
.75
3
.5
54
21
3
.37
3
.25
10
.1
31
37
13
15
.1
18
"The last condition was a reversal condition in which
the contingencies were reversed for the two keys.
6.0
4.0
3.0
13
25
10
22
33
30
32
15
For latencies longer than 48 s, the interval between the start of two trials was a multiple of
1 min (e.g., 2 min if the response latency was
between 49 s and 1 min 48 s, 3 min if the response latency was between 1 min 49 s and
2 min 48 s, etc.). Because latencies were almost
always shorter than 48 s, sessions usually lasted
34 min, and the overall reinforcement rate was
one reinforcer per minute, regardless of the
distribution of left and right choices.
For all conditions of Group A and Group B,
and for the initial and last two conditions of
Group C, conditions were changed when the
data satisfied a stability criterion. This criterion specified a minimum of 10 sessions in a
condition. In the last five consecutive sessions,
the number of large-reinforcer choices had to
be neither higher nor lower than (i.e., within
the range of) the number of large-reinforcer
choices in all previous sessions within that condition. All members of a group had to simultaneously satisfy the stability criterion in order
for the condition for that group to be changed.
This ensured that all members of a group had
equivalent experience. Other conditions of
Group C each lasted for three sessions. Sessions
were conducted 5 to 6 days per week.
For the first condition the programmed delay to the small reinforcer, the reinforcer delay
following a red-key peck, was 6 s. In subsequent conditions this value was decreased in
2-, 1-, .5- (for Groups A and B only), .25-, or
.125-s steps until a delay of .1 s was reached.
For the last condition the contingencies for
pecking the two keys were reversed. Such a
change measures a pigeon's tendency to maintain preference for a particular reinforcer
when the contingencies have been switched to
the opposite side, and opposite colored, keys.
Table 1 summarizes the conditions, the order
in which they were conducted, and the number of sessions that each was in effect.
The procedures for the pigeons in Groups
A and B were identical with the exception that
these pigeons participated in the experiment
at two slightly different times and in two different groups so that, because of the group stability criterion, they were exposed to each
condition for somewhat different numbers of
sessions. Group C, the control group, was exposed to the same conditions as the fading-exposed experimental pigeons (Groups A and
B), plus three additional conditions, all in the
same order as the experimental pigeons. However, Group C was exposed to each of these
conditions for only three sessions, instead of
until a behavioral stability criterion was satisfied (with the exception of the first and last
two conditions). Mazur and Logue's (1978)
control group was exposed only to the initial
and final conditions used for the experimental
subjects, with exposure to these two conditions
being continued until the behavioral stability
criterion was satisfied.
RESULTS
Data used for analyses in this experiment,
as well as in Experiment 2, were means from
the last five sessions of each condition, with the
exception of Group C conditions that were in
effect for only three sessions; in those cases
only the data from the last session were used.
Session times were fairly constant for the ten
subjects (M = 34.8 min, SE = .4). Figure 1
shows the number of large-reinforcer choices
as a function of condition for Groups A, B,
and C. For all three groups the number of
large-reinforcer choices decreased as the delay
to the small reinforcer was decreased. When
this delay was smallest, .1 s, and the contingencies were reversed, Groups A and B continued to make about the same number of largereinforcer choices, while Group C made fewer.
Figure 2 shows individual-subject data for
the last two conditions, including the reversal
condition, for all three groups. The striped
EXPERIENCE-BASED DIFFERENCES IN SELF-CONTROL
*8i
25
is
'52
;U
Jo
57
/ A,'
.-.group
A
--agroupB
-
c
ggroup C
,
reversal
1.0
2.0
2.0
4.0
5.0
0.0
Delay to small rel nf orcer (sec)
Fig. 1. The mean number of large-reinforcer choices
in the last five sessions of each condition for Group A,
Group B, and Group C in Experiment 1. The three
unconnected points are the data for the reversal condition in which the contingencies for pecking the two
keys were reversed.
Group B
Group C
Group A
Fig. 2. The mean number of large-reinforcer choices
in the last five sessions of the second-to-last (striped
bars) and last (reversal, open bars) conditions in Experiment 1. Results are shown individually for each pigeon. The vertical lines depict one standard error on
each side of the mean.
bars represent the number of large-reinforcer
choices in the second-to-last condition, and the in which a position bias is larger than the selfopen bars in the last (reversal) condition.
control present, the mean of the last two conFigure 3 compares the mean number of ditions will be artificially inflated because the
large-reinforcer choices over the last two conditions (the last fading and the reversal condiNO FADING
tions) for all three groups with the data obtained from the fading-exposed subjects in the
comparable conditions in Mazur and Logue 32'
(1978). These means measure self-control with 0.
position bias canceled out ([last fading + reversal]/2 = [(self-control + bias) + (self-conA
trol - bias)]/2 = self-control). Also presented
in Figure 3 are the data from the last condi- -i
tion for Mazur and Logue's (1978) control subjects, subjects exposed only to the initial (6 s)
Group C
and final (0 s) conditions without the intervening fading experience. These subjects were
never exposed to a reversal condition. The difFADING
ference between Groups A (M =10.9, SE = 1.7,
N = 3) and B (M = 10.3, SE = 2.7, N = 4) is a0U'
not significant (t[5] = .15, p > .8), nor between *
those two groups combined (M = 10.5, SE =
1.7, N = 7) and the Mazur and Logue fading- U'
exposed subjects (M = 17.3, SE = 4.5, N = 4; *c
t(9) = -1.51, .1 < p < .2). The difference be- 8
tween Group C (M = 8.9, SE = 2.7, N = 3) and
the Mazur and Logue control group (M = .8, JI
SE = .6, N = 4) is significant (t[5] = 2.79,
.02 < p < .05), with Group C's large-reinforcer
Group A
Mazur &Logu
Group B
(978)
choices approaching those of Groups A and B,
largely due to the data of Pigeon 71. The mean
Fig. 3. The mean number of large-reinforcer choices
for this pigeon may have been inflated because in the last two conditions for all subjects in Experiment
1 and the fading-exposed subjects in Mazur and Logue
this bird never pecked the right key and is (1978),
and in the last condition for the nonfadingtherefore likely to have had a large position exposed subjects in Mazur and Logue (1978). Individual
bias and no self-control whatsoever. In cases and group results are shown.
I
1
58
A. W. LOGUE et al.
number of large-reinforcer choices in the reversal condition cannot be less than zero.
It is possible to estimate the direction of a
subject's position bias by subtracting the mean
of its large-reinforcer choices in the last fading
and the reversal conditions from its number
of large-reinforcer choices in the last fading
condition. Over all fading-exposed subjects
this value is -1.0 (SE = 1.2, N = 7), indicating
a position bias in the last fading condition to
respond on the key that delivered the small
reinforcer (the right key). The value for Group
C (nonfading-exposed subjects) is larger and
in the opposite direction, + 6.1 (SE = 4.2,
N= 3).
DISCUSSION
The results depicted in Figures 1, 2, and 3
indicate that Mazur and Logue's (1978) results
with the fading procedure were replicated
here. The fading procedure does increase the
number of larger, more-delayed reinforcers
chosen in a self-control paradigm. In addition,
results from Group C suggest that substantial
exposure to the intervening conditions of the
fading procedure may be necessary for this to
occur; three sessions per condition may not
be sufficient. While Group C appeared to frequently choose the larger, more-delayed reinforcer, even after the delay to the smaller reinforcer was decreased to .1 s in the second-to-last
condition, reversing the contingencies for
pecking the two keys suggested that a position
bias for the left key, probably due to hysteresis
(Stevens, 1957), was largely responsible (Figures 1 and 2). Pigeon 71 made all of its pecks
on the left key in both the second-to-last and
reversal conditions. However, Pigeon 70 chose
about the same number of larger, more-delayed reinforcers as the lower range of the fading-exposed pigeons (Figures 2 and 3). The individual differences within all of the groups
suggest that different degrees of fading may
be necessary to increase the number of larger,
more-delayed reinforcers chosen by individual
subjects.
cedure is used. The present experiment examined whether pigeons with these two types of
experience would also demonstrate differential
sensitivity to reinforcer size and reinforcer delay when reinforcers were programmed according to a concurrent variable-interval variableinterval (VI VI) schedule. On such a schedule
differential sensitivity to reinforcer size and
reinforcer delay can be compared using Equation 3. If either reinforcer size or reinforcer
delay is varied, and the logarithm of Equation
3 is taken, then in the first case
log(B1/B2) = SA log(Al/A2) + log k, (4)
and in the second case,
log(B1/B2) = SD log(D2/D1) + log k. (5)
Thus the exponents SA and SD are the slopes of
straight-line equations fit to the data in logarithmic coordinates.
Since the matching law has difficulty accounting for behavior on concurrent-chain as
compared with simple concurrent schedules
(e.g., Dunn & Fantino, 1982; Gentry & Marr,
1980; Gibbon, 1977; Green & Snyderman,
1980; Williams & Fantino, 1978), the schedule
used in the present experiment was designed
to be as much like a simple concurrent schedule as possible, given the reinforcers were of
necessity delayed. As in Experiment 1, in
which a reinforcer followed each response on
a lit key, responding until an actual choice for
one or the other reinforcer was kept at a minimum. Further, a 3-s changeover delay was employed in the present experiment, a technique
which increases the chances of preference in
the initial link of a concurrent chain being
similar to preference in a simple concurrent
schedule (Baum, 1974a; Davison, 1983).
METHOD
Subjects
Seven adult White Carneaux pigeons served
in this experiment. Three of these pigeons
were numbers 100, 101, and 102 that constituted Group A in Experiment 1. These pigeons were chosen from Experiment 1 for the
present experiment because their self-control
EXPERIMENT 2
behavior was consistent and not a result of
Pigeons which have been exposed to the fad- position or color biases (see Figure 2). The
ing procedure are relatively more sensitive to other four pigeons used in the present experireinforcer size than reinforcer delay when com- ment, numbers 67, 56, 61, and 62, had previpared with pigeons lacking this exposure and ously been exposed to concurrent VI schedwhen Mazur and Logue's (1978) trials pro- ules, but not the fading procedure. All of the
EXPERIENCE-BASED DIFFERENCES IN SELF-CONTROL
subjects were maintained
feeding weights.
at
Table 2
Order of Conditions in Experiment 2
80% of their free-
Apparatus
The same
1.
apparatus was
used
as
in Experi.-
ment
Procedure
All subjects were placed on concurrent, independent, VI 30-s VI 30-s schedules. Pecks on
the left, green key were reinforced according
to one VI schedule, while pecks on the right,
red key were reinforced according to the other
VI schedule. The VI schedules were constructed according to the progression suggested by Fleshler and Hoffman (1962). A 3-s
changeover delay (COD) was in effect; 3 s had
to elapse after a changeover response from the
left to the right key or vice versa, or after the
first response following reinforcement, before
a subsequent key peck could deliver a reinforcer. The purpose of the COD was to decrease the probability of reinforcement of sequences of responses involving both keys. In
order to keep reinforcer frequency as constant
as possible between the two alternatives so
that reinforcer frequency would not affect
choice, both VI schedules ran continuously
during a session. Each time an interval in one
of the VI schedules timed out, the schedule
continued but a counter representing reinforcers available from that VI schedule was incremented. Each time a reinforcer was received
the appropriate counter was decremented.
At the beginning of a session the left key was
transilluminated green, the right key red, and
the chamber was illuminated white. A peck
on a lit key could produce a reinforcer so long
as the counter for the VI schedule for that key
had a value of at least one and the COD had
been satisfied. When a reinforcer was received
for a left peck, both keys and the overhead
white lights were darkened and the green
overhead light was illuminated for the delay
period, followed by the reinforcement period
of access to grain. At the end of the reinforcement period the white overhead light and the
key lights were again illuminated. The sequence of events for reinforcement following
a right peck was similar except that a red, instead of a green, overhead light was used.
Pecks were followed by feedback when the
keys were lit; pecks on darkened keys had no
effect. Sessions were terminated after a total
59
Number of sessions
NonfadingFadingexposed
exposed
subjects
subjects
56 61 62
67
D1 D2
100 101 102
14 16 20 18
14 13 1 1
6 6
15 25 19 31
16 19 14
6 6
27 13 12 20
11 25 14
10 2
10 10 20 14
24 14 22
6 6
24 24 19 13
18 10 28
2 10
Alternative 1 corresponds to the left key and
Alternative 2 to the right key.
Reinforcer
parameters
(sec)
A1 A2
6 6
10 2
6 6
2 10
6 6
Note:
of 35 reinforcers had been received and were
conducted 5 to 6 days per week.
A subject was exposed to a condition until
it satisfied the stability criterion, using left/
right pecks as the dependent variable. Table 2
shows the conditions used, the order in which
they were conducted, and the number of sessions that each condition was in effect for
each subject. Because procedural variations
can disrupt the effects of the fading procedure
(see Logue & Mazur, 1981), subjects were exposed to only two conditions in which reinforcer sizes were varied and two in which reinforcer delays were varied, and one in which
neither was varied, that being the minimum
number of conditions with which sensitivity
to reinforcer size and reinforcer delay could be
assessed. However, because Pigeon 100 demonstrated a strong right bias during the first four
conditions of the present experiment, essentially never being exposed to the contingencies
for left pecks, that subject was exposed to the
conditions a second time after its bias had disappeared. The data for Pigeon 100 from only
this second set of conditions are reported below.
Results
The means and standard errors (in parentheses) of left and right time spent pecking per
session, left and right peck response and overall and local reinforcer rates per minute, and
session time are shown for each subject and
condition in Table 3. Time spent pecking is
defined as the cumulative time from a peck on
one key until a peck on the other key or the
start of reinforcement. Peck and overall reinforcer rates per minute are calculated using
session time minus reinforcer and reinforcer
60
A. W. LOGUE et al.
Mean
response rates,
Table 3
time pecking, overall and local reinforcer rates, and session time in
Experiment 2.
Peck response
Condition
rates per min
(A,.A..D1,D2)
left
Time pecking
Overall reinforcer
per session (min)
rates per min
left
left
right
right
Fading-exposed subjects
right
Local reinforcer
Session
rates per min
time
left
right
(min)
100
40.2(
58.2(
35.9(
4.3(
6,6,6,6
10,2,6,6
6,6,10,2
2,10,6,6
6,6,2,10
9.0)
4.3)
7.3)
30.3(3.4)
10.6( .6)
6.1(2.5)
1.9)
41.1(5.1)
75.0( 1.2)
12.2(1.4)
2.4( .6)
3.2( .1)
2.3( .3)
.4( .1)
4.1( .3)
1.6( .8)
.6( .1)
.4( .1)
3.6( .4)
.9( .1)
8.6(
8.0(
13.5(
10.1(
6.0(
1.6)
.2)
2.0)
3.1)
.4)
15.3(2.5)
16.3(1.3)
16.3(2.1)
9.3( .9)
10.7(2.4)
14.1( .2)
18.5(2.6)
18.2(1.2)
1.9( .2) 3.8( .1)
3.7( .2) 1.5( .2)
13.3(
4.8(
9.0(
12.9(
5.3(
1.6)
.2)
2.2)
2.1)
.2)
12.2(1.6)
15.6(3.2)
6.5( .3)
7.2( .4)
12.6(2.0)
12.5( .4)
14.0(3.2)
12.4( .2)
15.1( .8)
1.5( .4)
4.5( .2)
1.7( .1)
.9( .1)
3.3( .2)
1.6( .1)
3.7( .1)
4.5( .3)
15.5(
11.3(
14.1(
16.3(
.9)
1.1)
1.6)
1.9)
9.8(1.2)
14.6(1.4)
5.4(1.3)
14.3( .4)
13.8( .2)
12.6( .2)
3.1(
3.9(
.6(
.8(
2.6(
1.4(
.3(
2.8(
4.5(
.1(
1.8(1.7)
4.2( .2)
3.3( .4)
.4( .1)
3.8( .1)
2.1(1.0)
1.6( .1)
.9( .4)
3.6( .4)
1.9( .2)
12.8(1.5)
12.4( .2)
101
6,6,6,6
10,2,6,6
6,6,10,2
2,10,6,6
6,6.2,10
18.5( 1.8)
65.8( 4.5)
14.3( 1.4)
13.3( 3.6)
80.5(16.1)
38.1(3.4)
2.4( .7)
78.1(1.6)
60.7(6.8)
21.8(5.7)
1.1( .2)
6.8( .3)
1.5( .2)
.8( .1)
4.4( .2)
1.8( .2)
.2(
3.6(
3.6(
.9(
.1)
.1)
.1)
.1)
2.6( .2) 4.0( .3)
4.0( .2) .3( .1)
1.4( .1) 4.0( .4)
12.8( .3)
102
6,6,6,6
10,2,6,6
6,6,10,2
2,10,6,6
13.6(
47.7(
19.9(
9.6(
49.3(
6,6,2,10
3.1)
2.7)
1.3)
1.4)
3.4)
6,6,6,6
10,2,6,6
6,6,10,2
2,10,6,6
6,6,2,10
40.8( 7.3)
6,6,6,6
10,2,6,6
6,6,10,2
2,10,6,6
6,6,2,10
85.0(16.8)
6,6,6,6
10,2,6,6
6,6,10,2
2,10,6,6
6,6,2,10
42.0( 5.5)
96.5( 5.0)
9.8( 1.2)
14.3( 1.3)
36.5( 3.0)
5.6( 1.7)
8.6( 2.1)
61.8( 2.2)
21.6(2.0)
10.8( .8)
43.8(2.6)
54.1(2.1)
12.9(1.9)
2.7( .4)
.6( .03)
3.7( .2)
.4( .1) 3.3( .2)
.7( .1)
2.3( .2)
.8( .1)
3.5( .4)
.7( .1)
18.4(3.4) 2.2( .3)
5.0( .8) 3.0( .3)
64.4(1.9) .4( .1)
62.5(4.0) .4( .1)
1.3( .3) 10.9( .4)
1.6( .3)
.4( .1)
3.5( .1) 1.3( .2)
Nonfading-exposed subjects
67
7.8(1.1)
3.6( .7)
.2( .1)
.5)
.1)
.2)
.2)
.04)
.4)
.1)
.1)
.2)
.02)
6.9( .1)
7.8( 1.1) 15.2(2.0)
9.7( .9)
1.3)
16.1( 2.8)
14.4( 1.8)
10.9( .8)
5.7(1.5)
3.9( .4)
9.3(1.4)
3.2( .1) 8.4(2.1)
11.4(
15.3 (.2)
13.3 (.3)
14.9(
17.4(
16.1(
15.6(
17.6(
.5)
.2)
.7)
.8)
.3)
56
77.2( 6.6)
29.6( 2.8)
24.1( .9)
75.3( 3.2)
2.4( .3)
4.5( .6)
1.2( .1)
1.0( .2)
5.2(1.8)
.3( .1)
64.2(3.2)
3.2( .3)
55.1(2.7) .9( .04) 2.6( .2)
7.6(1.5) 7.4( .9) .5( .1)
26.3(3.1)
4.6( .5)
4.3( .2)
2.4( .2)
2.1( .4)
3.3( .2)
2.8( .4)
1.2( .7)
3.8( .1)
4.2( .7)
.7( .2)
9.6( .8)
7.5( 1.0)
10.0( 2.6)
13.1( 1.3)
4.3( .4)
14.2(2.2)
11.8(2.4)
6.8( .5)
9.2( .7)
11.4(2.4)
12.0( .5)
16.3( .5)
12.2( .2)
12.7( .3)
14.6( .7)
3.1( .5)
5.0( .2)
.8( .1)
1.1( .1)
4.0( .1)
3.7( .2)
1.9( .2)
3.2( .1)
4.5( .2)
1.9( .1)
43.8(29.3)
8.6( .3)
16.8( .7)
17.4( 1.9)
6.1( 1.4)
8.9(1.2)
11.4(1.3)
3.9( .2)
8.1( .3)
16.2(1.5)
12.3( .4)
13.2( .2)
14.6( .3)
14.6( .3)
12.2( .1)
61
97.6( 4.6)
.9(
3.0(
93.2(2.1) .4(
78.3(2.3) .4(
22.4(1.7) 3.9(
69.0(3.2)
24.7(2.5)
.2) 2.3( .3)
.1) .9( .1)
.03) 7.4( .3)
.04) 3.5( .1)
.7) .7( .1)
62
69.6( 4.5)
24.7(4.0) 3.0( .5) .8 ( .1) 4.1( .1)
90.9( 2.1)
.3( .2) 5.6( .3) .02( .01) 3.9( .1)
4.8( .4) 109.6(2.7)
.4( .1) 8.9 ( .3) 3.6( .03)
2,10,6,6
7.4( 1.9) 73.3(4.2) .4( .1) 3.9 ( .2)
.4( .1)
6,6,2,10
.4 ( .2) 3.2( .3)
109.0( 1.4) 12.7(5.9) 7.6(1.3)
Note: Means and standard errors (in parentheses) are shown.
6,6,6,6
10,2,6,6
6,6,10,2
delay time
rates
use
as
time
the time base. Local reinforcer
pecking on a given key as
spent
the time base.
One aim of the procedure,
to
keep the time
1.8( .4)
8.8( 1.0) 12.3(1.0)
.1( .003) 6.3( .3) 3.6(3.6)
2.8( .1)
12.2( 2.5) 3.5( .1)
4.1( .1)
8.0( 2.5) 8.3( .5)
.8( .4)
4.3( .7) 13.5( .7)
13.1(
17.9(
16.3(
16.7(
.4)
.3)
.3)
.1)
14.9(1.0)
responding fairly short so as to increase the
control over behavior by the reinforcer sizes
and delays as opposed to the total time until
reinforcement, appears to have been success-
EXPERIENCE-BASED DIFFERENCES IN SELF-CONTROL
ful. Combining data from both keys and all
pigeons, the mean time between reinforcers when the key lights were on was only
8.3 s (SE = .01, N = 7), and the mean number
of pecks per reinforcer was only 15.6 (SE =
1.7, N = 7).
Another aim of the procedure was to keep
relative reinforcer rates fairly constant. Although overall reinforcer rates were not constant between the two sides, Table 3 shows
that these rates were closer than either the
peck or time-spent-pecking rates. Combined
data across all conditions for the seven subjects
show the absolute differences from 1.0 in log
units for the mean relative (left/right) peck,
time spent pecking, and overall reinforcer
rates were .99 (SE = .15, N = 7), .92 (SE = .10,
N = 7), and .62 (SE = .076, N = 7), respectively. All relative rate means are geometric
means. Differences from 1.0 were calculated by
taking the mean absolute difference of the logs
of the relative rates from 0. Further, as indicated by the local reinforcer rates, when a subject did respond on its nonpreferred side, the
reinforcer rate tended to be higher than on its
preferred side. Combined data across all conditions reveal that mean relative local reinforcer rate absolute differences for the seven
pigeons were close to zero (in log units, M =
.25, SE = .014, N = 7).
In the present experiment the VI schedules
timed continuously and available reinforcers
were accumulated. Thus, whenever a pigeon
spent a few seconds pecking at a key it was
likely to receive a reinforcer, time between
received reinforcers was short, relative overall
reinforcer rates were necessarily a direct function of preference, and relative local reinforcer
rates varied slightly and in the opposite direction from preference. Since relative local reinforcer rates have been found to be more predictive of preference than overall rates (e.g.,
Hinson & Staddon, 1983; Williams, 1983), relative reinforcer rates are unlikely to be responsible for the relative preferences observed here.
Nevertheless, the covariation between relative
preference and relative overall reinforcer rates
may present a problem in the interpretation
of the results.
Another way of ensuring that reinforcer frequency remained equal for the two alternatives would have been to use interdependent
concurrent VI schedules (Stubbs & Pliskoff,
1969). In such a procedure there is only one
seven
61
timer that times one set of intervals, randomly
allotted to either the left or the right response
alternative. Because the timer stops timing
whenever an interval has timed out and a reinforcer is scheduled, not resuming until the
reinforcer has been obtained, a subject must
receive each programmed reinforcer in turn,
be it on the subject's preferred or nonpreferred side, before the subject can receive further reinforcers. Therefore, the interdependent-VI procedure can generate responding
that is more similar across the two alternatives
than is generated by independent VI schedules
(de Villiers, 1977). Because the purpose of the
present experiment was to assess sensitivity to
reinforcer sizes and delays as precisely as possible, and because in the present procedure
responding can vary widely as a function of
the nature of the reinforcers available while
leaving reinforcer frequency fairly constant, it
was decided to use the present procedure
rather than interdependent concurrent VI
schedules.
Figures 4 and 5 show the data for Pigeons
100, 101, and 102, and Figures 6 and 7 show the
data for Pigeons 67, 56, 61, and 62, plotted according to Equations 4 and 5, first with pecks
and then with time spent pecking as the dependent variable. In each figure the equation
for the best fitting line, calculated according
to the method of least squares, is given in
linear coordinates, i.e., Equation 3 with either
102
101
100
+
y=1.516
y=5.Xg-4
~~%%~
58%
75%
<4
S[
11
+92%
.11
6%
91%
4
=.x.
.2
1
s
a
.2
1
A1r
C
e
5
.2
1
5
D2
K2E
Fig. 4. The ratios of left to right pecks as a function
of the ratios of left to right reinforcer amounts and reinforcer delays for each of the fading-exposed pigeons
in Experiment 2. The solid and dashed lines represent
the best fitting lines according to the method of least
squares for the conditions in which relative reinforcer
amounts and the conditions in which relative reinforcer
delays were varied, respectively. The equations for these
lines are shown in linear coordinates. An adjusted value
of the percentage of the variance accounted for by each
line is also shown.
A. W. LOGUE et al.
62
lOc
/~~Yy2.3x.1y68
97%
7~~~~~7%4
-
%
-~~~~~
+
$1Pg4a85%
IES1
IC
CD
1
Y= /4
+61%
-|+
co
I 83%
9
87%
5
1
.2
1
5
1 or 2
.2
A2
.2
1
5
DI
Fig. 5. The ratios of left to right time spent pecking
as a function of the ratios of left to right reinforcer
amounts and reinforcer delays for each of the fadingexposed pigeons in Experiment 2. The solid and
dashed lines represent the best fitting lines according
to the method of least squares for the conditions in
which relative reinforcer amounts and the conditions in
which relative reinforcer delays were varied, respectively. The equations for these lines are shown in linear
coordinates. An adjusted value of the percentage of the
variance accounted for by each line is also shown.
A1 = A2 or D1 = D2). An adjusted value of
r2 is also given for each equation. The formula
used here attempts to compensate for the sometimes artificially high values of r2 generated
by small samples (Kerlinger & Pedhazur, 1973,
PP: 282-284). The adjusted values of r2 show
that Equations 4 and 5 fit the data well; almost
all of these values are above .6. The direction
6162
56
617
Y=5.0x2
99%
99%~2. y=2.5x10
Kloa
99%/
_2
,,
9/
y:.6x12
A.
/=y=2,
/99%
:y=26
1C
0
I
-3.7
A14
.2
1
5
.7
i
89%
.2
1
96%
5
.2
18
/
/',.
7x,1,0
1
5
.2
1
5
Al r D2
JT2 D I
Fig. 6. The ratios of left to right pecks as a function
of the ratios of left to right reinforcer amounts and
reinforcer delays for each of the nonfading-exposed
pigeons in Experiment 2. The solid and dashed lines
represent the best fitting lines according to the method
of least squares for the conditions in which relative
reinforcer amounts and the conditions in which relative
reinforcer delays were varied, respectively. The equations for these lines are shown in linear coordinates.
An adjusted value of the percentage of the variance
accounted for by each line is also shown.
.2
1
5
.2
1
5
.2
A1
Al
1
5
.2
1
5
D2
or
-2
A2 DI
Fig. 7. The ratios of left to right time spent pecking
as a function of the ratios of left to right reinforcer
amounts and reinforcer delays for each of the nonfad-
ing-exposed pigeons in Experiment 2. The solid and
dashed lines represent the best fitting lines according
to the method of least squares for the conditions in
which relative reinforcer amounts and the conditions
in which relative reinforcer delays were varied, respectively. The equations for these lines are shown in linear
coordinates. An adjusted value of the percentage of the
variance accounted for by each line is also shown.
of the response bias shown by a subject,
whether to the left as indicated by a value of
k more than 1.0, or to the right as indicated
by a value less than 1.0, is generally consistent
across conditions in which amounts and delays
were varied and pecks and time spent pecking
were measured. A bias to the left was shown
more often than a bias to the right.
Calculating for each subject the ratio of the
reinforcer-size and reinforcer-delay exponents
(sA/sD) gives the relative sensitivity of each
subject to reinforcer size and reinforcer delay.
Table 4 presents these calculations. The value
of SA/SD is negative for Pigeon 100 in the present experiment because of a negative slope in
the line fit to the varying reinforcer delays.
This negative slope resulted from the smallest
delay ratio generating the largest response
ratio in that subject. As discussed above, this
subject exhibited substantial response bias in
some of the prior conditions. If this one point
is eliminated, SA for this subject is .9, and SA/SD
is then 1.4, much closer to the other two subjects. But even if this point is not eliminated,
the large value of SA/SD, regardless of whether
it is positive or negative, indicates that
amounts were more potent than delays in describing the behavior of this subject. There is
no overlap between the values of SA/SD, calculated using pecks, for pigeons in this experi-
EXPERIENCE-BASED DIFFERENCES IN SELF-CONTROL
63
SD while SA is about the same. Using pecks and
time spent pecking to measure preferences, the
median values of sA for the fading-exposed piTime spent
geons are 1.4 and 1.2, respectively, and for the
pecking
Pecks
nonfading-exposed pigeons they are 1.2 and
SD
Subject
SA
SA
SD SA/SD
SAISD 1.3. The median values of SD for the fadingFading-exposed subjects
exposed pigeons are .7 and .7; for the nonfading-exposed pigeons they are 1.5 and 1.7.
1.2 -.7 1.8
1.4 -.4 3.4
100
1.7
.7 2.4
1.6
1.0 1.7
101
The effect of the fading procedure is prob1.0
1.0 1.0
1.0
.7 1.5
102
related to the presence of the green and
ably
1.2
.7 1.8
1.4
.7 1.7
median
red delay-interval lights, because without
these lights the number of larger, more-deNonfading-exposed subjects
reinforcer choices decreases in fadinglayed
.6
1.4 2.5
1.4 2.2
.6
67
exposed pigeons (Logue & Mazur, 1981). These
1.2
1.1 1.1
.9 1.0
.9
56
.7
61
1.1
1.4
1.0
1.2
.8
results are therefore consistent with data indi2.8
1.9 1.5
2.7
1.8 1.4
62
cating that humans or other animals who per.9
1.2
1.5
.9
median
1.3 1.7
form distracting tasks, are told to think fun
thoughts, or who fall asleep, show increased
ment with and without self-control training. choice of the larger, more-delayed reinforcer
There is some overlap in the values of SA/SD in a self-control paradigm and report that
for fading- and nonfading-exposed subjects time seems to go faster (Grosch & Neuringer,
calculated using time spent pecking instead of 1981; Hicks, Miller, Gaes, & Bierman, 1977;
pecks, although the medians are almost iden- Hicks, Miller, & Kinsbourne, 1976; Mischel,
tical to those calculated using pecks.
1981; Mischel & Ebbesen, 1970). The delay-interval lights could function as distractors for
DISCUSSION
fading-exposed pigeons as described by the
The values of SA and SD were often higher lower value of SDthan those found in traditional concurrent VI
Some additional confirming data can be
VI experiments (Baum, 1979; de Villiers, 1977; added here. Actual time eating and actual reWearden & Burgess, 1982). Relative preference inforcer delay (programmed delay plus latency
tended to be more extreme than relative rein- to eat) were also recorded in the present exforcement, thus generating higher exponents periment using a photocell. The values of SA
than traditional concurrent VI schedules, be- and SD were also calculated using these actual
cause the present procedure used VI schedules
(though not necessarily functional) reinforcer
that timed continuously and because reinforc- values and multiple regression. For the fadingers were saved until a subject obtained them
exposed pigeons the median values for sA were
(see Davison, 1982).
1.2 (pecks) and 1.1 (time pecking), for SD .8
Reinforcer amounts were more potent than (pecks) and .8 (time pecking), and for SA/SD 1.2
delays in describing the behavior of the pi- (pecks) and 1.9 (time pecking). For the nongeons with fading-procedure exposure. For all fading-exposed pigeons the median values for
three of these pigeons SA was 1.0 or greater, SA were .8 (pecks) and 1.0 (time pecking), for
while SD was 1.0 or smaller, with SA/SD equal SD 1.5 (pecks) and 1.7 (time pecking), and for
to 1.0 or more using either pecks or time spent SA/SD .5 (pecks) and .5 (time pecking). As with
pecking to measure preference. In comparison, the calculations using programmed reinforcer
for Pigeons 67, 56, 61, and 62, the values of values, the present values of SA/SD are higher
SA/SD)were generally smaller, indicating that, for the fading-exposed than the nonfadingas in Experiment 1 (see also Logue & Mazur,
exposed pigeons, and this seems to be more
1981; Mazur & Logue, 1978), amounts were due to a difference in SD than sA.
relatively less potent than delays in describing
the behavior of these pigeons without fading
GENERAL DISCUSSION
experience.
The data available in the present experiExperiment 1 confirmed that pigeons can be
ment suggest that SA/SD is larger for the fading- trained using the fading procedure to be relaexposed pigeons because of a smaller value of tively more sensitive to reinforcer size than
Table 4
Values of sA and SD in Experiment 2
64
A. W. LOGUE et al.
which a smaller, less-delayed reinforcer (on
the left) and a larger, more-delayed reinforcer
(on the right) are actually received. The
curves indicate how the value of these reinforcers decreases as one moves backwards in time,
to the left, increasing the delay until the time
at which the reinforcers are received.
In the top panel the parameters SA and SD are
both equal to 1.0. This panel represents what
the original matching law (Equation 2) would
2
1
predict. At point 1 in this panel the larger reinforcer has a higher value of Vi, so the larger
w
reinforcer will be chosen over the smaller reinforcer. At point 2 the opposite is true, demonstrating the well known self-control paradigm
reversal phenomenon. Subjects are more likely
to choose the smaller reinforcer if it is availn
Uable immediately than if the smaller reinforcer
1
2
is somewhat delayed. In the middle panel
SA < SD and the crossover point, the point at
which the value of the two reinforcers is equal,
shifts to the left. This means that there is now
a greater time period during which the smaller
reinforcer will be chosen over the larger reinforcer; now the smaller, less-delayed reinforcer
is
preferred at both points 1 and 2. In the bot*ML.
tom panel sA > SD and the opposite occurs.
1
2
The crossover point shifts to the right, later in
time, and the larger, more-delayed reinforcer
TIME
Fig. 8. The top panel shows hypothetical gradients of is preferred at both points 1 and 2.
the value of two reinforcers as a function of time: a
If Equation 4 and Figure 8 accurately delarger reinforcer received more distant in time, and a scribe choice in a self-control paradigm, then
smaller reinforcer received nearer in time. The middle
panel shows the same situation when reinforcer value the crossover point in a self-control experideclines more quickly as a function of delay. The bot- ment, the point at which a subject is indiffertom panel shows the same situation when reinforcer ent between a smaller, less-delayed and a
value declines more slowly as a function of delay.
larger, more-delayed reinforcer, should be a
function of SA and SD. From Equation 3, given
reinforcer delay when compared with pigeons B1 = B2 and assuming no response bias (k =
without this training. Experiment 2 showed 1.0), a reasonable assumption given the small
that this training can generalize to a different amount of bias found in the subjects in Exschedule of reinforcement. In addition, Equa- periment 1 that were exposed to each conditions 4 and 5 provided an orderly description tion until their behavior was stable (i.e.,
of the data in Experiment 2 with fading-ex- Groups A and B):
posed pigeons tending to show values of SA/SD
greater than those of nonfading-exposed pilog (D)
geons, probably due to a decrease in SD. These
(6)
results suggest that SA/SD may be useful in
SD log ()
characterizing subject differences in a self-control paradigm.
Figure 8 is a hypothetical diagram of rein- Therefore, examination of the location of the
forcer value as a function of time until receipt crossover point makes it possible to determine
of two separate reinforcers derived from Equa- SA!SD for pigeons in discrete-trial procedures.
tion 3. In each panel there are two vertical Then SA/SD for the pigeons in Experiment 2
solid lines. These lines represent the times at can be compared with the same pigeons in
D1
----v
EXPERIENCE-BASED DIFFERENCES IN SELF-CONTROL
Experiment 1, and with pigeons that have
been exposed, also until behavioral stability
was reached, to conditions similar to those in
Experiment 1 but either with or without the
conditions in a sequence comparable to the
fading procedure. (All experiments that could
be identified as possessing these latter characteristics were used: Ainslie & Herrnstein, 1981;
Green et al., 1981; Mazur & Logue, 1978.)
Table 5 presents the calculations of SA/SD
using both the crossover point method (Equation 6) and the slopes method (Equations 4 and
5) for data collected from pigeons in discretetrial and concurrent VI VI schedules, respectively. Linear interpolation was used to obtain
the crossover points. First, for each subject, the
two data points that spanned indifference between the larger and smaller reinforcers were
identified. The data collected for each subject
during discrete-trial procedures contained at
most only one such pair of points. Next, the
line between these two points was used to estimate the delay to the smaller reinforcer that
would yield indifference between that reinforcer and the larger, 6-s, reinforcer delayed
6 s (the crossover point). If a subject never
crossed over, the delay at which it made the
smallest number of large-reinforcer choices
was assumed to be the crossover point (note
that this underestimates SA/SD). Once the crossover point was identified, SA/SD could be calculated using the reinforcer sizes and delays
corresponding to that point.
Table 5 shows first that, for the data calculated using the crossover point method, sA/sD
tends to be larger for subjects with fading-procedure exposure. This difference is significant
using a Mann-Whitney U Test (U[10,11] = 6,
p < .002). Second, the values of SA/SD obtained
in Experiments 1 and 2 for Pigeons 100, 101,
and 102, pigeons with fading experience, using
different schedules of reinforcement and different methods for calculating SA/SD, are comparable. Finally, note that Green and Snyderman's (1980) data for nonfading-exposed pigeons in a concurrent-chain procedure were
best fit by a value for sA/sD of .7, similar to the
values for the other nonfading-exposed pigeons in Table 5 (see also Ito & Asaki, 1982).
Thus, for these data taken as a whole, SA/SD
is larger for pigeons with than without fadingprocedure exposure and this finding has at
least some cross-situational generality. Indeed,
using different power functions in order to
65
Table 5
Summary of the values of SAISD for all of the experiments.
Time
Pecks
Experiment
(and Method")
Subjectb
ISAISDI
Fading-exposed subjects
100
2.7
1.8
101
1.5
102
median
1.8
104
.7
105
1.5
IA
(C)
lB
(C)
106
107
median
Mazur & Logue
(1978)
(C)
46
291
492
127
median
2
(S)
100
101
102
median
3.1
1.4
1.4
1.3
1.1
1.3
1.5
1.3
3.4
1.7
1.5
1.7
Pecking
ISAISDI
-
-
-
-
1.8
2.4
1.0
1.8
Nonfading-exposed subjects
2
(S)
67
56
61
62
median
.6
.6
1.1
.9
.8
.7
1.5
1.4
.9
.9
1
.8
Ainslie & Herrnstein
2
1.2
(1981)
3
.6
(C)
4
1.2
.7
5
6
.7
median
.8
11
.4
Green et al. (1981)
.3
(C)
12
.3
13
14
.3
median
.3
"The values of SA/SD were calculatecf either by the
crossover point method using Equation 6 (C), or by the
slopes method using Equations 4 and 5 (S).
bThe following subjects never chose more small than
large reinforcers in the trials procedure, and so their
values of SA/SD calculated using the crossover point
method are underestimates: 46, 291, and 5.
characterize relative sensitivity to different
reinforcer continua, as in the present paper,
can be successful even in procedures for which
data are not well described by the matching
law.
Equation 4 appears able to describe much
of the research on choice in a self-control para-
66
A. W. LOGUE et al.
digm within a single conceptual framework,
including individual differences. It is also consistent with recent research on the matching
law that has repeatedly shown that the exponent in Equation 1 is affected by the experimental procedure and by the history of the
organism (see Baum, 1974a, 1974b, 1979; Davison, 1982; Davison & Hunter, 1979; de Villiers,
1977; Keller & Gollub, 1977, for discussions).
There is no ideal exponent of 1.0 that the ideal
matching law procedure will reveal, as has
been previously implied (see de Villiers, 1977).
Some procedures and continua yield one exponent and some yield another (see also Bertalanffy, 1968). Yet it is possible to predict what
sorts of procedures will affect the exponents in
what way. As Experiment 2 and Davison's
(1982) research have shown, certain schedules
of reinforcement do generate choice responding that is more extreme than the reinforcer
distribution and consequently also generate
relatively high exponents. In addition, pigeons
with fading-procedure exposure tend to be
more sensitive to reinforcer size than reinforcer
delay when compared to pigeons without this
exposure. The generalized matching law as
applied to the self-control paradigm can be
helpful in describing the effects of different
procedures on subjects' choices between reinforcers of varying sizes and delays.
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Received April 25, 1983
Final acceptance August 16, 1983