Ch 10 - Matching Law

• how do we distribute our behavior between simultaneous options

• Choice on concurrent schedules

• Proportion of work/time we put into something = proportion of SR’s we get from that thing

• Both Terrance and Marco are fun to hang out with, but Marco is twice as fun. For each hour I spend hanging out with these guys how much time do I spend w/ Terrance and how much w/ Marco?

Matching Law

• Ra SRa

---------- = --------------- Ra + Rb SR

a + SRb

Ch 10 - Matching Law

• VR 5 vs. VR 50

• VI 20 vs. VI 60 sec

• Which pays out faster? (which is better?)

• How many pellets do I get from each schedule per minute?

• What proportion of total R’s comes from each?

• Ra 3 ---------- = --------------- Ra + Rb 3 + 1

Matching Law

• VI 20 vs VI 80 secWhat’s the ratio? What % of reinforcement comes from each? So what % of responses goes to each if matching?

– Make up a number of responses for each side that would fit.•• VI 15 vs VI 45 sec– What’s the ratio? – What % of reinforcement comes from each? – So what % of responses goes to each if matching? – Make up a number of responses for each side that would fit.

• COD – change over delay

Deviations from matching• Undermatching – favor better option but not enough– Not enough time to better option, too much time to poorer option

• Overmatching – favor better option too much– Too much time to better option, too little time to poorer option

• Bias – deviate from matching because of a preference for one of the reinforcers or responses

• Bias – giving more time to preferred option then you “should”. So if preferred option is better of the two options you overmatch, if it’s the poorer you undermatch.

• If green key pays out 25% of SR

• And red key pays out 75% of SR

• What % would be matching?

• If pigeon directs 35% of pecks to green and 65% of pecks to red – what’s that?

• What would green 15% and red 85% be?

• When overmatching occurs _______ responses are directed to the poorer choice than predicted by the matching law.

• A. more

• B. fewer

• C. equal

Self Control

• Choice with commitment

• Choosing a larger delayed reward over a smaller immediate reward.Skinner on how to gain s.c.

• Physical restraint - set up environment to encourage s.c. (behave mod labs, chair on bed, don’t buy junk food)

• Deprivation & satiation – ex. drink water before meal to eat less

• Replacement behavior

• Self R and P – tell others to increase compliance to the consequence (or get others to deliver R & P for you!)Hernstein (pigeons)

• Pigeons choose:

– Small amt of grain immed*

– Larger amt of grain in 4 sec later

– Small amt after 18 sec delay

– Large amt after 18 + 4 sec delay

Ainslie-Rachlin Model of Self-Control

Ways to increase self control

• Create delay for impulsive choice

• Inc. value of delayed reward

• Dec. value of immed reward

• AgeExperience w/ delayed rewards

• Practice, shape the behavior

• Break up delayed goal into smaller imm goals

• Don’t be a heroine addict or a pigeon

Ainslie-Rachlin Model of Self-Control When the Delay Function is Flatter &/or Reduced Value of SSR

Eisberger & Adornetto, 1986

• Pre-tested kids, play game – get $.02 now or $.03 in cup you get later

• Random assign to groups, 3 training sessions that either got $.02 now or $.03 later

• Post test for s.c – will you choose $.02 now or later $.03?