Publications [#288022] of John E. Staddon
search www.pbs.duke.edu.Papers Published
- Jozefowiez, J; Staddon, JER; Cerutti, DT, The behavioral economics of choice and interval timing.,
Psychological review, vol. 116 no. 3
(July, 2009),
pp. 519-539 [Gateway.cgi], [doi] .
(last updated on 2025/03/09)Abstract:
The authors propose a simple behavioral economic model (BEM) describing how reinforcement and interval timing interact. The model assumes a Weber-law-compliant logarithmic representation of time. Associated with each represented time value are the payoffs that have been obtained for each possible response. At a given real time, the response with the highest payoff is emitted. The model accounts for a wide range of data from procedures such as simple bisection, metacognition in animals, economic effects in free-operant psychophysical procedures, and paradoxical choice in double-bisection procedures. Although it assumes logarithmic time representation, it can also account for data from the time-left procedure usually cited in support of linear time representation. It encounters some difficulties in complex free-operant choice procedures, such as concurrent mixed fixed-interval schedules as well as some of the data on double bisection, which may involve additional processes. Overall, BEM provides a theoretical framework for understanding how reinforcement and interval timing work together to determine choice between temporally differentiated reinforcers.