Integrative study on behavioral-economic factors affecting deviation from rational choice

本文首先回顾了选择行为的研究进展;其次，考察了警觉任务中听觉注意的选择（注意分配），结果表明，在警觉任务中，人类被试表现出偏离理性选择（匹配律）的行为;再次，考察了相对密度和强化概率对人类自我控制的影响。48名成年人被分为四组，并在立即的小奖励和延迟的大奖励之间进行选择。每个受试者都经历了三种不同的奖励组合，其相对强化密度不同（强化之间的时间除以点数）。强化概率在各组中被操纵。当概率为1.0时，受试者总是选择密度较大的奖励。然而，当概率小于1.0时，选择比例随着概率的降低而降低，这表明相对密度不能准确描述人类在这种条件下的选择。第四，为了研究影响偏离理性选择的因素，对日本年轻人和老年人的时间折扣率进行了研究。此外，贴现率从独居的年轻人和那些与家人住在一起的比较，以检查金钱管理经验的时间贴现的影响。结果表明，这种方法可能是有用的，在检查影响偏离人类理性选择的因素。

Firstly, recent developments in the study of choice behavior were reviewed.Secondly, choice in auditory attention (allocation of attention) in a vigilance task was examined and the results suggested that human subjects showed deviation from rational choice (matching law) in such a vigilance situation.thirdly, effects of relative density and probability of reinforcement on human self-control were investigated. Forty-eight adult humans were divided into four groups and given a choice between an immediate small reward and a delayed large reward. Each subject experienced three combinations of rewards differing in the relative density of reinforcement (the number of points divided by the time between reinforcements). Reinforcement probability was manipulated across the groups. When the probability was 1.0, subjects always chose rewards with larger densities. When the probability was less than 1.0, however, choice proportions for the rewards with larger densities decreased as the probability decreased, suggesting that relative density does not accurately describe human choice under such conditions.Fourthly, in order to examine factors affecting deviation from rational choice, rates of temporal discounting were examined with Japanese young and elder participants. In addition, rates of discounting from young adults living alone and those living with their families were compared in order to examine effects of money-management experience on temporal discounting. The results suggests that this methodology might be useful in examining factors affecting deviation from rational choices in humans.