Bradshaw C M
Division of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham, UK.
Behav Processes. 2019 Oct;167:103884. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.06.007. Epub 2019 Jul 6.
The concept of 'value' has enjoyed a central position in many theoretical accounts of choice behaviour. Several definitions of 'value' are contrasted in this paper, and one particular approach is defended, whereby value is defined as a dimensionless intervening variable. This definition is a cornerstone of the multiplicative hyperbolic model of choice (MHM), which was proposed twenty years ago as a modification of Mazur's (1987) hyperbolic model of delay discounting. This paper reviews some of the merits and shortcomings of MHM, and suggests some ways in which MHM might be extended and improved. A formal link between 'value' and the related concept of 'response strength' is suggested, and revisions of the model are proposed which may enable it to accommodate several behavioural phenomena not considered in the original formulation. Broadening the scope of MHM comes at the cost of adding to its burden of free parameters, and it is emphasised that addition of any new parameters needs empirical justification. The status of value as a dimensionless intervening variable is upheld; however it is noted that a growing body of empirical evidence for links between neurobiological phenomena and value suggests that interpretation of value as a hypothetical construct may be warranted.
“价值”概念在许多关于选择行为的理论阐述中占据核心地位。本文对比了“价值”的几种定义，并捍卫了一种特定的方法，即把价值定义为一个无量纲的中介变量。这一定义是选择行为乘法双曲线模型（MHM）的基石，该模型于二十年前作为对马祖尔（1987）延迟折扣双曲线模型的修正而提出。本文回顾了MHM的一些优缺点，并提出了一些扩展和改进MHM的方法。文中提出了“价值”与相关概念“反应强度”之间的形式联系，并对模型进行了修订，使其能够容纳原始公式中未考虑的几种行为现象。拓宽MHM的范围是以增加其自由参数负担为代价的，并且强调任何新参数的添加都需要实证依据。价值作为无量纲中介变量的地位得以维持；然而，需要注意的是，越来越多关于神经生物学现象与价值之间联系的实证证据表明，将价值解释为一种假设性结构可能是有必要的。
