ALERT: This system is being upgraded on Tuesday December 12. It will not be available
for use for several hours that day while the upgrade is in progress. Deposits to DukeSpace
will be disabled on Monday December 11, so no new items are to be added to the repository
while the upgrade is in progress. Everything should be back to normal by the end of
day, December 12.
Probabilistic choice: A simple invariance.
Abstract
When subjects must choose repeatedly between two or more alternatives, each of which
dispenses reward on a probabilistic basis (two-armed bandit ), their behavior is guided
by the two possible outcomes, reward and nonreward. The simplest stochastic choice
rule is that the probability of choosing an alternative increases following a reward
and decreases following a nonreward (reward following ). We show experimentally and
theoretically that animal subjects behave as if the absolute magnitudes of the changes
in choice probability caused by reward and nonreward do not depend on the response
which produced the reward or nonreward (source independence ), and that the effects
of reward and nonreward are in constant ratio under fixed conditions (effect-ratio
invariance )--properties that fit the definition of satisficing . Our experimental
results are either not predicted by, or are inconsistent with, other theories of free-operant
choice such as Bush-Mosteller, molar maximization, momentary maximizing, and melioration
(matching).
Type
Journal articlePermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3231Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/0376-6357(87)90034-9Publication Info
Horner, JM; & Staddon, JE (1987). Probabilistic choice: A simple invariance. Behav Processes, 15(1). pp. 59-92. 10.1016/0376-6357(87)90034-9. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3231.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
Collections
More Info
Show full item recordScholars@Duke
John E. R. Staddon
James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neuroscience
Until my retirement in 2007, my laboratory did experimental research on learning and
adaptive behavior, mostly with animals: pigeons, rats, fish, parakeets. We were particularly
interested in timing and memory, feeding regulation, habituation and the ways in which
pigeons and rats adapt to reward schedules. The aim is to arrive at simple models
for learning that can help to identify the underlying neural mechanisms. I continue
to do theoretical and historical work on the power law in

Articles written by Duke faculty are made available through the campus open access policy. For more information see: Duke Open Access Policy
Rights for Collection: Scholarly Articles
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info