Buscador de artigos científicos

Abstract Many universities sponsor student‐oriented transit services that could reduce alcohol‐induced risks but only if services adequately anticipate and adapt to student needs. Human choice data offer an optimal foundation for planning and executing late‐night transit services. In this simulated choice experiment, respondents opted to either (a) wait an escalating delay for a free university‐sponsored “safe” option, (b) pay an escalating fee for an on‐demand rideshare service, or (c) pick a free, immediately available “unsafe” option (e.g., ride with an alcohol‐impaired driver). Behavioral‐economic nonlinear models of averaged‐choice data describe preference across arrangements. Best‐fit metrics indicate adequate sensitivity to contextual factors (i.e., wait time, preceding late‐night activity). At short delays, students preferred the free transit option. As delays extend beyond 30 min, most students preferred competing alternatives. These data depict a policy‐relevant delay threshold to better safeguard undergraduate student safety.

Abstract Impulsive choice describes a preference for a smaller‐sooner reward (SSR) over a larger‐later reward (LLR). A large body of research has examined different procedures for decreasing impulsive choice in nonhuman subjects. One limitation of these procedures is the extensive training duration required to achieve the desired results. To address this limitation, the current experiment examined the effects of a brief course of Pavlovian training, designed to establish a conditioned stimulus (CS) that could be strategically used to encourage LLR choices. Forty male Long‐Evans rats were randomly assigned to appetitive Pavlovian or unpaired training. A lever insertion signaled an upcoming unconditioned stimulus (i.e., food presentation) for Pavlovian rats and it acquired CS properties. The lever was uncorrelated with the US in the unpaired group, and it did not acquire CS properties. In the subsequent impulsive‐choice assessment, the lever from the training phase served as the lever rats pressed to choose the LLR. After an LLR choice, the lever remained in the chamber during the delay to the LLR, just as the SSR lever remained in the chamber until that reward was delivered. Pavlovian‐trained rats sign tracked toward the lever CS and made significantly fewer impulsive choices than did rats in the unpaired group.

Abstract A vast literature highlights the prevalence of impulsive decision making in maladaptive outcomes. Most research has focused on one form—delay discounting. Less research has focused on effort discounting, possibly because of a lack of a standardized task for assessment. In published effort‐discounting tasks, effort is conceptualized in many ways, making it difficult to compare findings across studies. Additionally, most effort‐discounting tasks do not control for the time inherent in completing the effortful task, which makes it difficult to disentangle effort discounting from delay discounting. The current study evaluated the validity of a novel hypothetical effort‐discounting task. The novel task was used to evaluate the influence of the effort‐delay confound on rates of effort discounting in humans. Participants were randomly assigned to complete a confounded or a controlled version of the novel effort‐discounting task. The effort‐discounting data were well described by hyperbolic and exponential functions. When effort and delay were confounded, effort‐discounting rates were significantly higher than when effort alone influenced discounting. The results suggest that data that are produced by effort‐discounting tasks that do not control the effort‐delay confound should be interpreted cautiously because they are also influenced by delay discounting. Task limitations and future directions are discussed.

Abstract The book Teaching Machines: The History of Personalized Learning by Audrey Watters (2021) is of interest to the readers of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior because the roots of teaching machines and programmed instruction are in the experimental analysis of behavior. Furthermore, the book addresses use‐inspired basic research in education, one of our country's most pressing problems. The review begins with an introduction, followed by an overview of the book chapters, extending the historical, cultural, and behavior‐analytic context presented by Watters. Particular emphasis is placed on the work of two not‐so‐well‐known researchers in behavior analysis, Susan Meyer Markle (1928–2008) and Benjamin Wyckoff (1922–2007). The review continues with an assessment of the audience for the book and its contributions to behavior analysis and some perspectives. An overarching theme throughout the review is the importance of learning and teaching the history of behavior analysis.

Abstract Alcohol misuse ranks among the leading causes of preventable death worldwide. Therefore, discovering measures that can predict hazardous drinking is critical. The delay discounting paradigm—which assesses relative preference for immediate rewards over larger, later rewards—has frequently been used as a proxy for impulsive choice, but it does not capture how long someone is willing to wait for delayed rewards when the arrival time is uncertain. In contrast, a newer willingness‐to‐wait task measures how long someone is willing to wait for a delayed reward of uncertain timing before giving up. We hypothesized that performance in this willingness‐to‐wait task would be associated with drinking severity and that this task may even outperform delay discounting as a predictor of drinking severity. We pooled data from multiple studies of mostly college‐aged adult participants. Drinking severity was assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Willingness to wait under temporal uncertainty, but not delay discounting, was associated with severity of alcohol problems among participants who drank ( n = 212). Individuals engaging in hazardous drinking were less willing to wait for rewards when delays were unknown than were individuals with low‐risk drinking habits. Thus, willingness to wait under temporal uncertainty may be an important predictor of problematic drinking.

Abstract We examined the zoographics, or the characteristics of nonhuman animal subjects, reported for the entirety of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior ( JEAB ) through the most recent complete year (1958–2023). Animal sex in particular was evaluated to determine whether the lack of inclusion of female subjects in other disciplines extends to JEAB . Through systematic coding of all nonhuman empirical articles, we found consistent underreporting of most zoographics and a disproportionate use of male subjects relative to female subjects. Additionally, animal sex was commonly unreported and the inclusion of both male and female subjects was sparse. Recent years show some improvement, but greater inclusion is required. Lack of female subjects in research as well as underreporting of zoographics can generate unrepresentative results and hamper replication, generalization, and translation. We provide resources to guide future research and reporting suggestions such as equal inclusion and disaggregation of data by sex. We also clarify misunderstandings about the use of both sexes in research such as beliefs that it necessarily increases the cost of research.

Abstract Previous behavior‐analytic research to improve dance performance has separately demonstrated the efficacy of TAGteach and self‐evaluative video feedback. However, no research has directly compared these two interventions. In this study, we used an adapted alternating‐treatment design to examine the effects of TAGteach versus self‐evaluative video feedback to improve the accuracy of dance movements among four beginner‐level dance students. All participants performed better on movements that were taught using TAGteach compared with those that were taught using video self‐evaluation. However, conclusions about the superiority of TAGteach should be tempered until further research on this topic is conducted.

Abstract A well‐established imitative repertoire can facilitate the acquisition of functional communication, social behaviors, and observational learning. Although early intensive behavioral intervention programs for young children with autism incorporate imitation training, learners with autism may exhibit difficulties in acquiring an imitative repertoire. Few studies have evaluated the types of models responsible for acquisition when teaching imitation to children with autism. A preliminary evaluation with fixed and repetitive model targets suggested that children with autism may acquire imitation more rapidly when taught with repetitive models (Deshais & Vollmer, 2020). The purpose of the current study was to compare the rates of acquisition when teaching with repetitive and fixed models for six children with autism. The findings suggested that (a) fixed models resulted in the most efficient acquisition for 10 of 16 comparisons, (b) fixed and repetitive models had similar efficacy for four comparisons, (c) and the repetitive condition was most efficient for two comparisons.