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| International Paper Session - Reinforcer Value |
| Saturday, May 26, 2007 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| Madeleine CD |
| Area: EAB |
| Chair: Jeffrey N. Weatherly (University of North Dakota) |
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| Identifying the Factors that Produce Positive Induction in Rats' Responding for a Low-Valued Reinforcer when a High-Valued Reinforcer is Upcoming. |
| Domain: Basic Research |
| JEFFREY N. WEATHERLY (University of North Dakota), Amber Huls (University of North Dakota), Kathryn A. Flannery (University of North Dakota) |
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| Abstract: A series of experiments over recent years has reported that rats increase their rate of operant responding for a low-valued reinforcer (e.g., 1% sucrose) if a high-valued reinforcer (e.g., food pellets) will be available in the upcoming period of the session. Research has suggested that this positive induction effect occurs because the reinforcing value of the low-valued reinforcer has been increased. The present experiment investigated the factors that potentially account for this increase in value. Using a factorial design, the influence of temporal pairings, type of operandum used to earn the reinforcers, and location of reinforcer delivery were assessed. As suggested by previous research, each of these three factors contributed to the appearance of positive induction. Together, they nearly account for the effect. By identifying these factors as the underpinnings of positive induction, the present results inform our understanding of other phenomenon such as contrast effects |
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| Behavioural Economics: Income Elasticities and a Relative Inferior-Good Effect. |
| Domain: Basic Research |
| ERIC M. MESSICK (University of Waikato, New Zealand), Therese Mary Foster (University of Waikato, New Zealand), William Temple (University of Waikato, New Zealand) |
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| Abstract: When income increases, inferior goods (IGs) are goods that decrease in consumption and normal goods (NGs) are goods that increase in consumption. One way of categorising a good as such is by calculating its income elasticity (IE), the percent change in demand divided by the percent change in income. The more positive or more negative the IE, the more sensitive consumption is to income changes. IGs have IEs that are <0, indicating consumption changes opposite to income; NGs have IEs that are >0, indicating consumption changes with income. This measure has not been presented in published IG studies with rats and monkeys. A series of experiments with hens investigated the IG effect and IE graphs were a convenient way of summarising the data. The IG effect occurred for some hens, but the effect was less reliable than in the published studies. However, a relative IG effect occurred whereby the IEs of the intended IGs were consistently positive but smaller than IEs of the intended NGs, indicating that consumption of the intended IGs was less sensitive to income changes than the intended NGs. |
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