Quantifying the instrumental and noninstrumental underpinnings of Pavlovian responding with the Price equation

The Price equation is a mathematical expression of selectionist and non-selectionist pressures on biological, cultural, and behavioral change. We use it here to specify instrumental and noninstrumental behaviors as they arise within the context of the Pavlovian autoshaping procedure, for rats traine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychonomic bulletin & review 2022-08, Vol.29 (4), p.1295-1306
Main Authors: Strand, Paul S., Robinson, Mike J. F., Fiedler, Kevin R., Learn, Ryan, Anselme, Patrick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Food
Psychology
Theoretical/Review
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Summary:The Price equation is a mathematical expression of selectionist and non-selectionist pressures on biological, cultural, and behavioral change. We use it here to specify instrumental and noninstrumental behaviors as they arise within the context of the Pavlovian autoshaping procedure, for rats trained under reward certainty and reward uncertainty. The point of departure for this endeavor is that some portion of autoshaped behavior referred to as goal-tracking appears instrumental —a function of resource attainment (the individual approaches the location where the unconditioned stimulus is to be delivered). By contrast, some other portion of autoshaped behavior referred to as sign-tracking is noninstrumental— irrelevant to making contact with the to-be-delivered unconditioned stimulus. A Price equation model is proposed that unifies our understanding of Pavlovian autoshaping behavior by isolating operant and respondent influences on goal-tracking (instrumental) and sign-tracking (noninstrumental) behavior.
ISSN:1069-9384
1531-5320
DOI:10.3758/s13423-021-02047-z