Animal Impulsivity: Discounting or Ecological Rationality

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

Animal Impulsivity: Discounting or Ecological Rationality David W. Stephens Animals often prefer a small-immediate food item, even when waiting for a more delayed alternative could produce more food in the long-run. This impulsiveness is theoretically and practically important. For example, impulsiveness is thought to play a role in addiction and cooperation. The conventional explanation of animal impulsivity is that economic processes reduce or discount the value of delayed benefits. Yet, it has proven difficult to construct a plausible discounting model that explains animal impulsivity. This research program develops an alternative explanation based on ecological rationality The ecological rationality approach hypothesizes that impulsive choice mechanisms exist, not because immediacy is fundamentally valuable, but because choice rules based on immediacy offer advantages in natural choice situations, even if they do poorly in typical experimental situations. The objective of this research program is to assess the ecological rationality hypothesis. Experiments, using captive blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata), will explore the difference between binary and sequential choice situations. Preliminary evidence suggests that blue jays achieve higher long-term rates of food gain in the sequential situation. Extending this idea, experiments will compare the sensitivity of choice behavior to differences in long-term consequences in both situations. Further experiments will test the effect of experimental interruptions on impulsiveness, which is long-standing claim of the discounting hypothesis. In addition, computational techniques will be used to expand the predictions of the ecological rationality approach.