Chapter 9b

Question 1

behavioral economics

Answer 1

involves the use of basic microeconomic concepts and principles to predict, control, and analyze behavior in choice situations

Question 2

demand curve

Answer 2

mathematical curve showing how consumption decreases with price

Question 3

substitutability

Answer 3

a change in price of one reinforcer alters the consumption of a second reinforcer holding income constant

Question 4

delay discounting

Answer 4

involves choosing between small, immediate, and large delayed rewards

Question 5

hyperbolic discounting equation

Answer 5

Denotes a delay-discounting equation that shows a hyperbolic decay

Question 6

self control

Answer 6

a person who chooses the larger, delayed reward while rejecting the small, immediate payoff shows this

Question 7

preference reversal

Answer 7

The term refers to the change in value of a reinforcer as a function of time to the choice point (as in self-control).

Question 8

commitment response

Answer 8

some behavior emitted at a time prior to the choice point that eliminates or reduces the probability of impulsive behavior

Question 9

bias

Answer 9

some unknown asymmetry between the alternatives in a given experiment that affects preference over and above the relative rates of reinforcement

Question 10

overmatching

Answer 10

In the generalized matching equation, a value of a greater than 1 indicates that changes in the response ratio (Ba/Bb) are larger than changes in the ratio of reinforcement (Ra/Rb). This outcome occurs because relative behavior increases faster than predicted from relative rate of reinforcement. See also generalized matching law.

Question 11

undermatching

Answer 11

In the generalized matching equation, the exponent a takes on a value less than 1. This result is described as _____________________ and occurs when changes in the response ratio are less than changes in the reinforcement ratio. The effect is interpreted as low sensitivity to the programmed schedules of reinforcement. See also generalized matching law.

Question 12

generalized matching relation

Answer 12

a model that analyzes how behavior changes in response to reinforcement

Proportion equations like Ba/(Ba + Bb) = Ra/(Ra + Rb) describe concurrent performance when alternatives differ only in rate of reinforcement.

Question 13

log-linear matching equation

Answer 13

To write the matching law as a straight line, we may write the _____________________:
log(Ba/Bb) = log k + [a × log(Ra/Rb)]. Notice that in this form, log(Ba/Bb) is the Y variable and log(Ra/Rb) is the X variate. The constants a and log k are the slope and intercept, respectively. See generalized matching law.