Sumpter, C. E., Temple, W., & Foster, T. M. (1999).
The transitivity of choices between different response requirements.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,
72, 235-249.
This experiment tested the transitivity of hens' choices between
response requirements differing in both form and number. In a
concurrent second-order schedule procedure, 6 hens chose between
two alternatives by making either key-peck or door-push
responses. The reinforcement rates on the two alternatives
remained constant and equal throughout conditions, but the number
of responses (i.e., key pecks or door pushes) required on each
alternative was varied by changing the second-order (fixed-ratio)
requirements. The preferences obtained from two pairings of
response requirements allowed prediction of the preferences
expected in a third pairing. No intransitivities were found,
implying that the response requirements lie on a common unitary
scale of value. For response-based measures, the obtained
preferences varied evenly around perfect, multiplicative
prediction, and all satisfied strong transitivity, implying an
underlying interval scale of value. For time-based measures, only
moderate transitivity was satisfied, implying only an ordinal
scale of value. Time-based measures were confounded with the
differing times taken to complete each response requirement. The
existence of such scales indicates that direct comparisons of
different response requirements may be possible.
Key words: transitivity, choice, second-order schedules, key
peck, door push, hen