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Decision making by humans in a behavioral task: Do humans, like pigeons, show suboptimal choice?
- Source :
-
Learning & Behavior . Dec2012, Vol. 40 Issue 4, p439-447. 9p. - Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- Consistent with human gambling behavior but contrary to optimal foraging theory, pigeons show a strong preference for an alternative with low probability and high payoff (a gambling-like alternative) over an alternative with a greater net payoff (Zentall & Stagner, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 278, 1203-1208, ). In the present research, we asked whether humans would show suboptimal choice on a task involving choices with probabilities similar to those for pigeons. In Experiment 1, when we selected participants on the basis of their self-reported gambling activities, we found a significantly greater choice of the alternative involving low probability and high payoff (gambling-like alternative) than for a group that reported an absence of gambling activity. In Experiment 2, we found that when the inhibiting abilities of typical humans were impaired by a self-regulatory depletion manipulation, they were more likely to choose the gambling-like alternative. Taken together, the results suggest that this task is suitable for the comparative study of suboptimal decision-making behavior and the mechanisms that underlie it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *GAMBLING behavior
*HUMAN behavior
*PIGEONS
*DECISION making
*SUBOPTIMIZATION
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15434494
- Volume :
- 40
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Learning & Behavior
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 83589004
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-012-0065-7