Madden Gregory J, Smethells John R, Ewan Eric E, Hursh Steven R
Department of Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas, Lawrence 66045, USA.
J Exp Anal Behav. 2007 Mar;87(2):219-40. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2007.80-06.
This experiment was conducted to test predictions of two behavioral-economic approaches to quantifying relative reinforcer efficacy. According to the first of these approaches, characteristics of averaged normalized demand curves may be used to predict progressive-ratio breakpoints and peak responding. The second approach, the demand analysis, rejects the concept of reinforcer efficacy, arguing instead that traditional measures of relative reinforcer efficacy (breakpoint, peak response rate, and choice) correspond to specific characteristics of non-normalized demand curves. The accuracy of these predictions was evaluated in rats' responding for food or fat: two reinforcers known to function as partial substitutes. Consistent with the first approach, predicted peak normalized response output values (Omax) obtained under single-schedule conditions ordinally predicted progressive-ratio breakpoints and peak responding. Predictions of the demand analysis had mixed success. Pmax and Omax were significantly correlated with PR breakpoints and peak responding (respectively) when fat, but not when food, was the reinforcer. Relative consumption of food and fat under single schedules of reinforcement did not predict preference better than chance. The normalized demand analysis is supplemented with the economic concept of diminishing marginal utility, to predict preference shifts across the range of food and fat prices examined.
本实验旨在检验两种行为经济学方法对量化相对强化物效能的预测。根据其中第一种方法，平均归一化需求曲线的特征可用于预测渐进比率断点和峰值反应。第二种方法，即需求分析，摒弃了强化物效能的概念，而是认为相对强化物效能的传统测量指标（断点、峰值反应率和选择）对应于非归一化需求曲线的特定特征。在大鼠对食物或脂肪的反应中评估了这些预测的准确性：已知这两种强化物可作为部分替代品起作用。与第一种方法一致，在单程式条件下获得的预测峰值归一化反应输出值（Omax）按顺序预测了渐进比率断点和峰值反应。需求分析的预测结果好坏参半。当强化物为脂肪而非食物时，Pmax和Omax分别与渐进比率断点和峰值反应显著相关。在单强化程式下食物和脂肪的相对消耗量预测偏好的效果并不比随机猜测好。归一化需求分析辅以边际效用递减的经济概念，以预测在所研究的食物和脂肪价格范围内的偏好变化。
