Scaling reward value with demand curves versus preference tests

Schwartz, LP, Silberberg, A, Casey, AH, Paukner, A ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3421-1864 and Suomi, SJ, 2016. Scaling reward value with demand curves versus preference tests. Animal Cognition, 19 (3), pp. 631-641. ISSN 1435-9448

Preview

Text 13217_Paukner.pdf - Post-print Download (803kB) | Preview

Abstract

In Experiment 1, six capuchins lifted a weight during a 10-minute session to receive a food piece. Across conditions, the weight was increased across six different amounts for three different food types. The number of food pieces obtained as a function of the weight lifted was fitted by a demand equation that is hypothesized to quantify food value. For most subjects, this analysis showed that the three food types differed little in value. In Experiment 2, these monkeys were given pairwise choices among these food types. In 13 of 18 comparisons, preferences at least equaled a 3-to-1 ratio; in seven comparisons, preference was absolute. There was no relation between values based on degree of preference versus values based on the demand equation. When choices in the present report were compared to similar data with these subjects from another study, between-study lability in preference emerged. This outcome contrasts with the finding in demand analysis that test-retest reliability is high. We attribute the unreliability and extreme assignment of value based on preference tests to high substitutability between foods. We suggest use of demand analysis instead of preference tests for studies that compare the values of different foods. A better strategy might be to avoid manipulating value by using different foods. Where possible, value should be manipulated by varying amounts of a single food type because, over an appropriate range, more food is consistently more valuable than less. Such an approach would be immune to problems in between-food substitutability.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Animal Cognition
Creators:	Schwartz, L.P., Silberberg, A., Casey, A.H., Paukner, A. and Suomi, S.J.
Publisher:	Springer
Date:	2016
Volume:	19
Number:	3
ISSN:	1435-9448
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1007/s10071-016-0967-4 DOI 967 Publisher Item Identifier
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	25 Jan 2019 08:30
Last Modified:	29 Mar 2019 10:24
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/35683

Actions (login required)

Edit View

Statistics

Views

Downloads