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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1994 Nov;62(3):409–434. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1994.62-409

Ratio versus difference comparators in choice.

J Gibbon 1, S Fairhurst 1
PMCID: PMC1334476  PMID: 7983462

Abstract

Several theories in the learning literature describe decision rules for performance utilizing ratios and differences. The present paper analyzes rules for choice based on either delays to food, immediacies (the inverse of delays), or rates of food, combined factorially with a ratio or difference comparator. An experiment using the time-left procedure (Gibbon & Church, 1981) is reported with motivational differentials induced by unequal reinforcement durations. The preference results were compatible with a ratio-comparator decision rule, but not with decision rules based on differences. Differential reinforcement amounts were functionally equivalent to changes in delays to food. Under biased reinforcement, overall food rate was increased, but variance in preference was increased or decreased depending on which alternative was favored. This is a Weber law finding that is compatible with multiplicative, scalar sources of variance but incompatible with pacemaker rate changes proportional to food presentation rate.

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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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