Galuska, C.M., Winger, G., Hursh, S.R. & Woods, J.H. (2006).
Negative automaintenance omission training is effective.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 86, 181-195.
Given a commodity available at different prices, a unit-price account of choice predicts preference for the
cheaper alternative. This experiment determined if rhesus monkeys preferred remifentanil (an ultra-short-acting
µ-opioid agonist) delivered at a lower unit price over a higher-priced remifentanil alternative (Phases 1 and 3).
Choice between equal-priced alternatives also was assessed (Phase 2). A discrete-trials procedure was arranged in
which three monkeys chose between two remifentanil alternatives by responding on one of two levers. Different
prices were arranged by manipulating drug dose (0.3 and 0.1 µg/kg/injection) and/or the ratio requirement. Monkeys
usually chose the larger-dose alternative even when it was more expensive. Only when unit prices were relatively
high (e.g., large response requirements) did monkeys choose the cheaper (or equally priced) smaller-dose
alternative. Employing larger doses (0.9 and 0.3 µg/kg/injection) attenuated the larger-dose preference. The
results demonstrate that choice was not determined simply by unit price. An alternative model that employs
demand-function analysis to generate choice predictions is proposed.
Key words: choice, unit price, remifentanil, drug self-administration, behavioral economics, lever press, rhesus monkey