title: Choice with initial and terminal link reinforcement: an alternative self-control paradigm.
abstract: Self-control is demonstrated when a less desirable immediate outcome is chosen to ensure a substantially better future. In a novel animal analogue of this situation, primary reinforcement was delivered in both the initial and terminal links of a concurrent chain schedule. Rats made initial link choices between equal amounts of ethanol-free or ethanol-containing milk. Choosing the ethanol-free reinforcer resulted in delivery of the larger terminal link reinforcer and was thus analogous to self-control. Self-control decreased as the delay between initial and terminal links increased. The results have implications for human choice situations where decisions are made between two immediately available reinforcement alternatives each associated with a different delayed outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology,Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. bhpeters@paradise.net.nz
authors.forename: Heather L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Maree
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Harper
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000818:Animals; D002755:Choice Behavior; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D051381:Rats; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012646:Self Administration / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors