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SELF‐CONTROL IN ADULT HUMANS: VARIATION IN POSITIVE REINFORCER AMOUNT AND DELAY
Author(s) -
Logue A. W.,
PeñaCorreal Telmo E.,
Rodriguez Monica L.,
Kabela Elise
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1986.46-159
Subject(s) - reinforcement , psychology , developmental psychology , delay of gratification , interval (graph theory) , schedule , matching law , maximization , audiology , social psychology , computer science , mathematics , medicine , combinatorics , operating system
In five experiments, choice responding of female human adults was examined, as a function of variations in reinforcer amount and reinforcer delay. Experiment 1 used a discrete‐trials procedure, and Experiments 2, 3, 4, and 5 used a concurrent variable‐interval variable‐interval schedule. Reinforcer amount and reinforcer delay were varied both separately and together. In contrast to results previously reported with pigeons, the subjects in the present experiments usually chose the larger reinforcers even when those reinforcers were delayed. Together, the results from all the experiments suggest that the subjects followed a maximization strategy in choosing reinforcers. Such behavior makes it easy to observe self‐control and difficult to observe impulsiveness in traditional laboratory experiments that use adult human subjects.