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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1974 Jul;22(1):231–242. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1974.22-231

On two types of deviation from the matching law: bias and undermatching1

William M Baum
PMCID: PMC1333261  PMID: 16811782

Abstract

Data on choice generally conform closely to an equation of the form: log(B1/B2)=a log(r1/r2+log k, where B1 and B2 are the frequencies of responding at Alternatives 1 and 2, r1 and r2 are the obtained reinforcement from Alternatives 1 and 2, and a and k are empirical constants. When a and k equal one, this equation is equivalent to the matching relation: B1/B2=r1/r2. Two types of deviation from matching can occur with this formulation: a and k not equal to one. In some experiments, a systematically falls short of one. This deviation is undermatching. The reasons for undermatching are obscure at present. Some evidence suggests, however, that factors favoring discrimination also favor matching. Matching (a=1) may represent the norm in choice when discrimination is maximal. When k differs from one, its magnitude indicates the degree of bias in choice. The generalized matching law predicts that bias should take this form (adding a constant proportion of responding to the favored alternative). Data from a variety of experiments indicate that it generally does.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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