scholarly journals Uncertainty avoidance versus conditioned reinforcement: exploring paradoxical choice in rats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Ajuwon ◽  
Andrés Ojeda ◽  
Robin A. Murphy ◽  
Tiago Monteiro ◽  
Alex Kacelnik
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Reinforcement ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Conditioned Reinforcer ◽  
Uncertainty Reduction ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Good News ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Information Hypothesis ◽  
Per Se

Paying a cost to reduce uncertainty can be adaptive, because better informed decision-makers can align their preferences to opportunities. However, birds and mammals display an appetite for information that they cannot use to functionally alter behaviour or its outcomes. We explore two putative motivational mechanisms for this paradoxical behaviour. The information hypothesis proposes that reducing uncertainty is reinforcing per se, consistent with the concept of curiosity: a motivation to know, in the absence of instrumental benefits. In contrast, the conditioned reinforcement hypothesis sees information-seeking as a consequence of asymmetries in secondarily acquired reinforcement: responding increments caused by post-choice stimuli announcing positive outcomes (S+) exceed decrements caused by stimuli signalling absence of reward (S−). We contrast these hypotheses experimentally. Rats chose between two equally profitable options delivering food probabilistically after a fixed delay. In the informative option (Info), the outcome (food/no food) was signalled immediately after choice, whereas in the non-informative option (NoInfo) outcomes were uncertain until the delay lapsed. Subjects preferred (Info) when (1) outcomes were signalled by salient auditory cues, (2) only the absence of reward was signalled, and (3) only reward was signalled, though acquisition was slower when rewards were not explicitly signalled. Our results show that a salient good news signal is not required as a conditioned reinforcer to generate paradoxical preferences. Terminal preferences support the information hypothesis but the slower acquisition of (Info) preference when S+ is not present is consistent with the conditioning account. We conclude that both uncertainty reduction and conditioned reinforcement influence choice.

scholarly journals Excitatory second-order conditioning using a backward first-order conditioned stimulus: A challenge for prediction error reduction

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 1453-1465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Prével ◽  
Vinca Rivière ◽  
Jean-Claude Darcheville ◽  
Gonzalo P Urcelay ◽  
Ralph R Miller
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Conditioned Reinforcement ◽  
Prediction Error ◽  
Conditioned Reinforcer ◽  
Error Reduction ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Temporal Coding ◽  
First Order ◽  
Order Conditioning ◽  
Opponent Processes

Prével and colleagues reported excitatory learning with a backward conditioned stimulus (CS) in a conditioned reinforcement preparation. Their results add to existing evidence of backward CSs sometimes being excitatory and were viewed as challenging the view that learning is driven by prediction error reduction, which assumes that only predictive (i.e., forward) relationships are learned. The results instead were consistent with the assumptions of both Miller’s Temporal Coding Hypothesis and Wagner’s Sometimes Opponent Processes (SOP) model. The present experiment extended the conditioned reinforcement preparation developed by Prével et al. to a backward second-order conditioning preparation, with the aim of discriminating between these two accounts. We tested whether a second-order CS can serve as an effective conditioned reinforcer, even when the first-order CS with which it was paired is a backward CS that elicits no responding. Evidence of conditioned reinforcement was found, despite no conditioned response (CR) being elicited by the first-order backward CS. The evidence of second-order conditioning in the absence of excitatory conditioning to the first-order CS is interpreted as a challenge to SOP. In contrast, the present results are consistent with the Temporal Coding Hypothesis and constitute a conceptual replication in humans of previous reports of excitatory second-order conditioning in rodents with a backward CS. The proposal is made that learning is driven by “discrepancy” with prior experience as opposed to “ prediction error.”

PUENTES ENTRE LOS HECHOS Y EL DERECHO APLICABLE EN LA VERIFICACIÓN PROBATORIA: ESTANDAR Y VALORACIÓN DE LA PRUEBA

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (116) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Álvaro Pérez Ragone
Keyword(s):  
Decision Makers ◽  
Legal Argumentation ◽  
Criminal Process ◽  
Standard Of Proof ◽  
Legal Standards ◽  
Standards Of Proof ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Basic Minimum ◽  
Evidentiary Standard

The legal argumentation on controversial facts deals with the evidence that allows reaching a precise verdict on the facts. The evidence is necessary to support the factual assertions made by the parties and the conclusions of fact made by the decision makers. But the test per se does not yield verdicts. The evidence must be evaluated and whoever decides must consider whether or not it satisfies a basic minimum to consider a fact proven, if it meets a standard of proof. Much work has been done on the subject of legal standards of proof. Legal argumentation theorists, evidence scholars, civil and criminal process scholars, among others, have extensively addressed this issue. Some of them have made an analytical effort to clarify the idea of an evidentiary standard; others have done descriptive work to understand how the standards actually work; Others have done a kind of normative work in the hope of suggesting better or at least better defined standards; and the best contributions to the debate do more than one of these things at the same time.

scholarly journals The Limits of Liberal-Democracy Promotion

2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Hobson
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
Democracy Promotion ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Conceptual Frameworks ◽  
Per Se ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
Empirical Case Studies ◽  
Do So ◽  
The Way

One of the few unambiguously positive outcomes of the George W. Bush years is a greater interest in the practice of democracy promotion. However, the expansion of scholarship in this area has not been matched by an equal expansion in its scope. There continues to be an overwhelming tendency to focus exclusively on empirical case studies and policy prescriptions, usually informed by a set of unstated liberal assumptions. Nothing is necessarily wrong with this per se. The problem stems from the lack of attention directed toward the larger theoretical and conceptual frameworks that inform and shape these practices. Responding to this state of affairs, this article examines the way certain theoretical tendencies and commitments have helped give rise to many problematic aspects of liberal democracy promotion. It is necessary to challenge the restrictive framework that currently dominates. It is argued that to do so entails rethinking, extending, and pluralizing the way democracy itself is conceived.

Exploring consumer doubt towards local new products innovation and purchase intention

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Afzali ◽  
Elsadig Musa Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Aesthetic Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Innovative Products ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a scale to find the relationship between consumer doubt, skepticism, familiarity, information seeking, value for money and aesthetic design with customers’ purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach – This study focussed on students of Malaysian university of multimedia in Melaka campus and used questionnaires to obtain the relevant data. Convenience random sampling method is used whereby 200 questionnaires were distributed among the target population and exactly 200 completed answers were collected. Findings – The survey results show that aesthetic design and information seeking of a product has a positive significant relationship with customers’ purchase intention. Respondents reported a consideration on these two factors and it is revealed that the scale used in this study is reliable and valid kind of measurement to assess customers’ purchase intention. Practical implications – To minimize the innovating failure among launched new innovative products, managers and decision makers should focus on variables used in this study. By focussing on aesthetic design and information seeking they can overcome some of the problems cause failure. Originality/value – This research focus on customers’ purchase intention to buy a Malaysian-made innovative new product and their lack of confidence and trust if the product satisfy their needs. The scale in this study show that this research is valid and it gives new perception toward purchase intention and innovation.

scholarly journals The Influence of Verbatim Versus Gist Formatting on Younger and Older Adults’ Information Acquisition

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 557-557
Author(s):  
Julia Nolte ◽  
Corinna Loeckenhoff ◽  
Valerie Reyna
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Acquisition ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Trace Theory ◽  
Fuzzy Trace Theory

Abstract It is well-established that pre-decisional information seeking decreases with age (Mata & Nunes, 2010). However, it is still unknown whether age differences in information acquisition are influenced by the type of information provided. Fuzzy-trace theory suggests that decision makers prefer gist-based over verbatim-based processing, and that this preference increases across the lifespan. Therefore, we hypothesized that age differences arise when presenting participants with verbatim details (such as exact numbers) but not gist information (such as ”extremely poor” or “good”). In a lab-based experiment, 68 younger adults and 66 older adults completed a gist-based and a verbatim-based search task before making health insurance choices. Younger and older adults reviewed similar amounts of information in either condition. In line with Fuzzy-trace theory, however, older adults sought more information when presented with gist rather than verbatim information. The role of age-associated covariates and implications for decision-making will be discussed.

scholarly journals The 'obvious' stuff: exploring the mundane realities of students' digital technology use in school

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Neil Selwyn ◽  
Selena Nemorin ◽  
Scott Bulfin ◽  
Nicola F Johnson
Keyword(s):  
High Schools ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Individual Study ◽  
School Work ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Work Scheduling

This paper explores the ways in which students perceive digital technology as being helpful and/or useful to their schooling. Drawing upon survey data from students (n=1174) across three Australian high schools, the paper highlights seventeen distinct digital ‘benefits’ in domains such as information seeking, writing and composition, accessing prescribed work, scheduling and managing study tasks. While these data confirm the centrality of such technologies to students’ experiences of school, they also suggest that digital technology is not substantially changing or ‘transforming’ the nature of schools and schooling per se. Instead, students were most likely to associate digital technologies with managing the logistics of individual study and engaging with school work in distinctly teacher-led linear and passive ways. As such, it is concluded that educationalists need to temper enthusiasms for what might be achieved through digital technologies, and instead develop better understandings of the realities of students’ instrumentally-driven uses of digital technology.

Decision-Making Cognitive Process

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Thais Spiegel ◽  
Ana Carolina P V Silva
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Time Constraints ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Cognitive Limitations ◽  
The World ◽  
Human Decision ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Rationality Theory

In the study of decision-making, the classical view of behavioral appropriateness or rationality was challenged by neuro and psychological reasons. The “bounded rationality” theory proposed that cognitive limitations lead decision-makers to construct simplified models for dealing with the world. Doctors' decisions, for example, are made under uncertain conditions, as without knowing precisely whether a diagnosis is correct or whether a treatment will actually cure a patient, and often under time constraints. Using cognitive heuristics are neither good nor bad per se, if applied in situations to which they have been adapted to be helpful. Therefore, this text contextualizes the human decision-making perspective to find descriptions that adhere more closely to the human decision-making process. Then, based on a literature review of cognition during decision-making, particularly in healthcare context, it addresses a model that identifies the roles of attention, categorization, memory, emotion, and their inter-relations, during the decision-making process.

From Mobility to Accessibility

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Levine ◽  
Joe Grengs ◽  
Louis A. Merlin
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Transportation Planning ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Modern Cities ◽  
Standard Models ◽  
Per Se

This book flips the tables on the standard models for evaluating regional transportation performance. It argues for an “accessibility shift” whereby transportation planning, and the transportation dimensions of land-use planning, would be based on people's ability to reach destinations, rather than on their ability to travel fast. Existing models for planning and evaluating transportation, which have taken vehicle speeds as the most important measure, would make sense if movement were the purpose of transportation. But it is the ability to reach destinations, not movement per se, that people seek from their transportation systems. While the concept of accessibility has been around for the better part of a century, the book shows that the accessibility shift is compelled by the fundamental purpose of transportation. It argues that the shift would be transformative to the practice of both transportation and land-use planning but is impeded by many conceptual obstacles regarding the nature of accessibility and its potential for guiding development of the built environment. By redefining success in transportation, the book provides city planners, decision makers, and scholars a path to reforming the practice of transportation and land-use planning in modern cities and metropolitan areas.

Automation Bias, Accountability, and Verification Behaviors

1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 204-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen L. Mosier ◽  
Linda J. Skitka ◽  
Mark D. Burdick ◽  
Susan T. Heers
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Decision Aids ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Commission Errors ◽  
Social Psychological Research ◽  
Glass Cockpit ◽  
Omission Errors

Automated procedural and decision aids may in some cases have the paradoxical effect of increasing errors rather than eliminating them. Results of recent research investigating the use of automated systems have indicated the presence automation bias, a term describing errors made when decision makers rely on automated cues as a heuristic replacement for vigilant information seeking and processing (Mosier & Skitka, in press). Automation commission errors, i.e., errors made when decision makers take inappropriate action because they over-attend to automated information or directives, and automation omission errors, i.e., errors made when decision makers do not take appropriate action because they are not informed of an imminent problem or situation by automated aids, can result from this tendency. A wide body of social psychological research has found that many cognitive biases and resultant errors can be ameliorated by imposing pre-decisional accountability, which sensitizes decision makers to the need to construct compelling justifications for their choices and how they make them. To what extent these effects generalize to performance situations has yet to be empirically established. The two studies presented represent concurrent efforts, with student and “glass cockpit” pilot samples, to determine the effects of accountability pressures on automation bias and on verification of the accurate functioning of automated aids. Students (Experiment 1) and commercial pilots (Experiment 2) performed simulated flight tasks using automated aids. In both studies, participants who perceived themselves “accountable” for their strategies of interaction with the automation were significantly more likely to verify its correct functioning, and committed significantly fewer automation-related errors than those who did not report this perception.

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