Preference in pigeons given a choice between sequences of fixed-ratio schedules: Effects of ratio values and duration of food delivery.
Both pigeons and people first chase the easiest immediate work, even when it lowers total reward.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers let pigeons pick between two fixed-ratio sequences.
Each sequence started with a small FR or a large FR, then finished with the same final FR.
Birds could hop back and forth, so the team watched which side they stayed on most.
What they found
The birds almost always chose the sequence that began with the smaller ratio.
They stuck with that choice even when it paid less food overall.
Only when the first food delivery was too short to eat did they switch.
How this fits with other research
Attwood et al. (1988) later showed that pigeons will swap to a progressive-ratio option if it raises total payoff.
That seems like a contradiction, but the difference is timing: Bryant et al. (1984) gave both choices right away, so the birds grabbed the easy first bite.
Yuwiler et al. (1992) found college students do the same thing—pick the low-effort start unless they get a long look at the big picture.
Together the papers show that both birds and people need extended exposure before they stop chasing the quick win.
Why it matters
Your client may pick the task that feels easier at first, even if a harder route earns more later.
Start with short, clear wins, then gradually lengthen the initial requirement while keeping the reinforcer large enough to consume.
Give extra practice trials so the learner can learn the full payoff structure.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Pigeons were exposed to schedules that consisted of two sequential fixed ratios, the completion of each followed by food delivery. When each alternative provided two food deliveries per 100 responses, the schedule with the shorter initial fixed-ratio value was consistently preferred. Subsequent attempts were made to shift this established preference by (1) increasing the ratio requirement in the second fixed ratio of the preferred schedule; (2) increasing the duration of food delivery in the second fixed ratio of the nonpreferred schedule; (3) decreasing the duration of food delivery in the first fixed ratio of the preferred schedule; and (4) shortening the second fixed ratio of the nonpreferred schedule. Preference shifted from the schedule with the shorter initial fixed ratio only when the duration of food delivery associated with the first fixed ratio of that schedule was too brief to allow eating. Under all other conditions, pigeons strongly preferred the schedule with the shorter initial fixed ratio even when, overall, that schedule yielded briefer access to food or required more responses to obtain equivalent access.
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 1984 · doi:10.1901/jeab.1984.42-127