scholarly journals Behavioral Perspectives on Risk Prone Behavior: Why Do People Take Risks?

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Shelby Wolf ◽  
Daniel Houlihan
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Gambling Behavior ◽  
Foraging Theory ◽  
Addictive Behaviors ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Operant Psychology ◽  
Potential Gain ◽  
Risk Sensitive Foraging

Utilizing the principles and concepts of behavioral economics and operant psychology, researchers in both fields initiated the creation of the optimal foraging theory. This theory describes foraging behaviors mostly within animals other than humans. However, within recent empirical studies, optimal foraging theory has been modified to explain risky choices and decision-making processes within the context of risk-sensitive foraging theory for both animals and humans alike. Although most individuals belonging to the homo sapiensspecies would not like to admit that their behavior is very animalistic in nature, there is a great deal of veracity behind this idea, ranging from explaining gambling behavior to addictive behaviors to even homicide. Risk prone behavior describes behavior elicited for the potential gain of rewards under certain conditions, usually competitive in nature. The purpose of the current paper is to shed some light on this topic and how it relates to the most primitive of behaviors exhibited by human beings. 

scholarly journals Fitness-maximizing foragers can use information about patch quality to decide how to search for and within patches: optimal Lévy walk searching patterns from optimal foraging theory

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (72) ◽  
pp. 1568-1575 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Theory ◽  
Patch Quality ◽  
Lévy Walk ◽  
Theoretical Synthesis ◽  
Levy Walk

Optimal foraging theory shows how fitness-maximizing foragers can use information about patch quality to decide how to search within patches. It is amply supported by empirical studies. Nonetheless, the theory largely ignores the fact that foragers may need to search for patches as well as for the targets within them. Here, using an exact but simple mathematical argument, it is shown how foragers can use information about patch quality to facilitate the execution of Lévy walk movement patterns with μ = 2 at inter-patch scales. These movement patterns are advantageous when searching for patches that are not depleted or rejected once visited but instead remain profitable. The analytical results are verified by the results of numerical simulations. The findings bring forth an innovative theoretical synthesis of searching for and within patches and, suggest that foragers' memories may be adaptive under spatially heterogeneous reward schedules.

Optimal foraging: theory and experiment

Nature ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 268 (5621) ◽  
pp. 583-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Krebs
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Theory ◽  
Theory And Experiment

Testing optimal foraging theory models on benthic divers

2016 ◽  
Vol 112 ◽  
pp. 127-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dahlia Foo ◽  
Jayson M. Semmens ◽  
John P.Y. Arnould ◽  
Nicole Dorville ◽  
Andrew J. Hoskins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Theory
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