Magalhães Paula, White K Geoffrey
Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Behav Processes. 2014 Jun;105:1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.02.010. Epub 2014 Feb 21.
Persistence in a losing course of action due to prior investments of time, known as the sunk time effect, has seldom been studied in nonhuman animals. On every trial in the present study, pigeons were required to choose between two response keys. Responses on one key produced food after a short fixed interval (FI) of time on some trials, or on other trials, no food (Extinction) after a longer time. FI and Extinction trials were not differently signaled, were equiprobable, and alternated randomly. Responses on a second Escape key allowed the pigeon to terminate the current trial and start a new one. The optimal behavior was for pigeons to peck the escape key once the duration equivalent to the short FI had elapsed without reward. Durations of the short FI and the longer Extinction schedules were varied over conditions. In some conditions, the pigeons suboptimally responded through the Extinction interval, thus committing the sunk time effect. The absolute duration of the short FI had no effect on the choice between persisting and escaping. Instead, the ratio of FI and Extinction durations determined the likelihood of persistence during extinction.
由于先前投入的时间而在失败的行动过程中坚持，即所谓的沉没时间效应，在非人类动物中很少被研究。在本研究的每次试验中，鸽子都需要在两个反应键之间做出选择。在某些试验中，按下一个键在短固定间隔（FI）时间后会得到食物，而在其他试验中，经过更长时间后没有食物（消退）。FI和消退试验没有不同的信号，概率相等，且随机交替。按下第二个逃避键的反应允许鸽子终止当前试验并开始新的试验。最佳行为是，一旦相当于短FI的持续时间过去且没有奖励，鸽子就啄逃避键。短FI和更长消退时间表的持续时间在不同条件下有所变化。在某些条件下，鸽子在消退间隔期间做出了次优反应，从而产生了沉没时间效应。短FI的绝对持续时间对坚持和逃避的选择没有影响。相反，FI和消退持续时间的比率决定了消退期间坚持的可能性。
