RESPONDING DURING REINFORCEMENT DELAY IN A SELF‐CONTROL PARADIGM

Eight pigeons chose between a small, immediate reinforcer and a large, increasingly delayed reinforcer. Responding during the large‐reinforcer delays was examined. During large‐reinforcer delays, pecks on one key produced the small, immediate reinforcer; pecks on the other key had no effect. Thus, a pigeon could reverse its initial choice of the large, delayed reinforcer, or it could maintain its original choice. Pigeons that made a relatively high number of initial large‐reinforcer choices tended to maintain these choices. Those pigeons that made a relatively high number of initial large‐reinforcer choices, and those pigeons that actually Received a relatively high number of large reinforcers, tended to respond more frequently on the ineffective key during the delay periods. The findings suggest that some previous studies of self‐control training in pigeons may have resulted in increased self‐control partially due to a lack of opportunity for the pigeons to change their choices.