York University.
J Exp Anal Behav. 2020 Mar;113(2):419-434. doi: 10.1002/jeab.584. Epub 2020 Feb 26.
Empirical investigations of humans, pigeons, rats, and monkeys have indicated that these species will select free over forced choice, even when faced with identical outcomes. However, the same has yet to be quantitatively confirmed in nonhuman great apes. This experiment is the first systematic investigation of preference for free or forced choice in great apes using a paradigm in which extraneous variables are highly controlled. Three orangutans were given a choice of one of two virtual routes, one that provided a choice and one that did not via a touchscreen computer program. Choice of either route was rewarded with the same type and quantity of food. Initial results indicated a preference for free choice across all three participants. However, in two control conditions, orangutans' preferences varied, suggesting a weaker tendency to exercise choice than species previously tested. We suggest further investigation of preference for free and forced choice in orangutans and other great apes through alternative experimental paradigms that focus on increasing the fidelity of free and forced choice options.
对人类、鸽子、老鼠和猴子的实证研究表明，这些物种即使面临相同的结果，也会选择自由选择而非强制选择。然而，同样的情况尚未在非人类的大型猿类中得到定量证实。本实验是首次使用高度控制额外变量的范式，对大型猿类中自由或强制选择的偏好进行的系统研究。三只猩猩可以在两个虚拟路线中选择一个，一个提供选择，另一个通过触摸屏计算机程序不提供选择。选择任何一条路线都将获得相同类型和数量的食物奖励。最初的结果表明，所有三只参与者都更喜欢自由选择。然而，在两个对照条件下，猩猩的偏好有所不同，这表明它们选择的倾向比之前测试的物种弱。我们建议通过关注增加自由和强制选择选项的保真度的替代实验范式，进一步研究猩猩和其他大型猿类对自由和强制选择的偏好。
