Canvas delay PDF

1. Objectives

• Understand how delay affects the value/efficacy of a reinforcer:

  • In learning

  • In stable choice

• Analyze how delay's impact on reinforcer value depends on environmental and organism characteristics.

• Grasp how delay creates barriers (and can be useful) for habit change.

2. Delayed Reinforcers

• Delay reduces the effectiveness of reinforcers.

• Key Points:

  • Delay discounts the value of reinforcers.

  • Learning is slower with delayed reinforcement (Wilkenfield et al., 1992).

  • Individuals favor immediate over delayed reinforcers in stable choice (Davison & Baum, 2007).

3. Learning Studies

3.1 Learning Speed

• Wilkenfield et al. (1992): Studies with rats showed that a steeper slope in cumulative responses indicates faster acquisition of behavior.

  • Five groups of rats trained with varying delays in reinforcement.

  • More cumulative responses suggest quicker learning with immediate reinforcement.

3.2 Choice Behavior

• Experiment by Davison and Baum (2007):

  • Executed concurrent schedules with reinforcer delays for one response and immediate for another.

  • Showed that delay shifts choice, impacting behavior significantly.

4. Implications of Delayed Reinforcement

• Utilization of delayed reinforcement can modify behavior:

  • Seatbelt use decreased with an 8-16 second delay in seatbelt reminders among drivers.

  • Vending machines using a 25-second delay on unhealthy options prompted healthier choices (Appelhans et al., 2018).

5. Preference Reversal

• Green et al. (1981) study:

  • Preference shifted towards larger-later alternatives when the reinforcement was delayed, demonstrating how time proximity influences preferences between immediate and delayed rewards.

6. Applications of Delay

• Allowing individuals to learn tolerance to delay.

• Understanding reinforcement contingencies in current behaviors.

• Teaching alternative behaviors and self-control techniques.

7. Subjective Value

7.1 Measuring Subjective Value

• A choice between a smaller amount now and a larger amount later reflects the subjective value of delayed reinforcers.

  • The indifference point is where preference between smaller and larger rewards shifts.

7.2 Discounting Function

• Collecting subjective values across various delays creates a discounting function illustrating the impact of delay on reinforcer value.

8. Individual Factors in Discounting

• Individuals discount at varying rates, influencing their impulsivity:

  • More steep discounting is associated with addictions (e.g., substance dependence, gambling).

  • Less discounting correlates with successful quitting and healthy behaviors (e.g., Bickel et al., 2018).

9. Environmental Factors Affecting Delay Discounting

9.1 Contextual Implications

• Situational contexts (e.g., gambling vs non-gambling) alter impulsivity.

  • Study by Dixon et al. (2006): Participants exhibit more impulsivity in gambling settings.

9.2 Reliability of Environment

• Kidd et al. (2013) illustrated the impact of environmental reliability on delay behavior in children:

  • Reliability in timing increased the likelihood of longer waiting for a reward.

10. Demographic Influence

10.1 Age and Income

• Green et al. (1996): Age and income influence discounting behavior:

  • Older adults and those in lower income brackets discount values more steeply.

11. Delay and Contextual Behavior

11.1 Contextual influences on choice

• Natural environments promote healthier choices. Berry et al. (2014) found environments with nature yielded less inclination towards sugary drinks.

• Episodic foresight reduces impulsivity and enhances future-oriented decision-making.

12. Take Home Messages

1. Delay diminishes the efficacy of reinforcers.

2. Delay produces a hyperbolic reduction in subjective value.

3. Individual and environmental contexts significantly influence the degree of discounting.

13. Recap Questions

13.1 Restaurant Scenario

• Discuss implications of immediate feedback (good/bad) on behavior change in restaurant staff.

13.2 General Delay Impacts

• Delay impacts reinforcer effectiveness across different species, supported by evidence.

• Discuss hyperbolic functions in describing delay discounting and measurement of individual discounting rates.

• Examine experiments illustrating environmental effects on delay discounting.

14. Important Terminology

• Concurrent Chain Schedule: Schedule involving two or more choices at the same time.

• Indifference: State of having no preference between options.

• Subjective Value: Perceived value of a delayed outcome.

• Delay Discounting: Reduction in perceived value of a reward as its delay increases.

• Hyperbolic Discounting: Function modeling the decrease in subjective value as the delay before obtaining a reward increases.