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| SQAB 2004 Tutorial: Choice and the Hyperbolic Decay of Reinforcer Strength |
| Saturday, May 29, 2004 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| Commonwealth |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Armando Machado (University of Minho) |
| Presenting Authors: : JAMES E. MAZUR (Southern Connecticut State University) |
| Abstract: Results from a variety of species suggest that as a reinforcer's delay increases, its strength decreases according to a hyperbolic function. This tutorial will review how a hyperbolic decay equation can account for choice in self-control situations, choice with probabilistic reinforcers, preference for variability, procrastination, and other phenomena. Some unresolved puzzles about the effects of delayed reinforcers will also be examined. |
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| JAMES E. MAZUR (Southern Connecticut State University) |
 Dr. James E. Mazur is Professor of Psychology at Southern Connecticut State University, where he has taught since 1988. He obtained his B.A. at Dartmouth College in 1973, and his PhD at Harvard University in 1977. He then taught at Harvard for several years and conducted post-doctoral research at Yale University. He has served as an Associate Editor for the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and is currently an Associate Editor for Learning and Behavior.
For 30 years, Dr. Mazur has conducted research on choice behavior in animals. He is especially interested in how such variables as delay of reinforcement, variability, probability, and conditioned reinforcers affect choice. In his writings, he has presented evidence that a simple mathematical expression called the hyperbolic decay model describes how a reinforcer's strength decreases with increasing delay. He is the author of Learning and Behavior, a popular textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses on learning, which is currently in its 5th edition. |
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