Abstract
A review of the relationship between schedule of reinforcement, response rate, and choice suggests that certain unifying concepts from economics can contribute to a more complete science of behavior. Four points are made: 1) a behavioral experiment is an economic system and its characteristics—open or closed—can strongly determine the results; 2) reinforcers can be distinguished by a functional property called elasticity; 3) reinforcers may interact as complements as well as substitutes; 4) no simple choice rule, such as strict matching, can account for all choice behavior. 1980 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 219-238 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1980 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- choice
- demand
- economics
- elasticity
- matching
- response rate
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Behavioral Neuroscience