DELAY DISCOUNTING OF QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT REINFORCERS IN RATS

作者：Calvert Amanda L; Green Leonard^*; Myerson Joel

来源：Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2010, 93(2): 171-184.

DOI：10.1901/jeab.2010.93-171

• delay discounting
• choice
• behavioral economics
• reinforcer quality
• reinforcer amount
• magnitude effect
• lever press
• rat

Humans discount larger delayed rewards less steeply than smaller rewards, whereas no such magnitude effect has been observed in rats (and pigeons). It remains possible that rats' discounting is sensitive to differences in the quality of the delayed reinforcer even though it is not sensitive to amount. To evaluate this possibility, Experiment 1 examined discounting of qualitatively different food reinforcers; highly preferred versus nonpreferred food pellets. Similarly, Experiment 2 examined discounting of highly preferred versus nonpreferred liquid reinforcers. In both experiments, an adjusting-amount procedure was used to determine the amount of immediate reinforcer that was judged to be of equal subjective value to the delayed reinforcer. The amount and quality of the delayed reinforcer were varied across conditions. Discounting was well described by a hyperbolic function, but no systematic effects of the quantity or the quality of the delayed reinforcer were observed.

• 出版日期2010-3