Justin C. Strickland, Gideon P. Naudé, Brett W. Gelino, Rebekah D. Schlitzer, Jessica C. Harbaugh, Johannes Thrul, Lauren Czaplicki, Meghan B. Moran, Matthew W. Johnson
{"title":"Effects of cigarette greenwashing advertising on behavioral economic demand, puff topography, and health risk perception","authors":"Justin C. Strickland, Gideon P. Naudé, Brett W. Gelino, Rebekah D. Schlitzer, Jessica C. Harbaugh, Johannes Thrul, Lauren Czaplicki, Meghan B. Moran, Matthew W. Johnson","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70133","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jeab.70133","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Greenwashing tactics involve advertising products as ecofriendly and/or natural, which may reduce perceived health risk. We tested the effect of greenwashing advertising tactics on cigarette demand, puff topography, and perceived health risk. Young adults (<i>N</i> = 31) who smoke cigarettes completed a within-subject experiment involving two topography and seven operant demand sessions. Participants were exposed to advertising for novel cigarette “brands.” One brand was advertised using greenwashing tactics, whereas the other brand included matched control tactics. Unknown to participants, both conditions used the same commercial cigarette brand. During topography sessions, participants smoked cigarettes ad lib and puff topography data were collected. During demand sessions, cigarettes were concurrently available at varying prices. No significant differences were observed for puff-topography measures (<i>d<sub>z</sub></i> values < 0.28). Participants demonstrated a preference for the cigarettes advertised using greenwashing tactics when concurrently available at the same low price with more puffs earned (<i>d<sub>z</sub></i> = 0.44) and a greater proportion of total puffs smoked (<i>d<sub>z</sub></i> = 0.55). Both brands acted as substitutes for each other, with substitution not reliably differing by brand. These findings indicate that greenwashing advertising tactics may increase the relative reinforcing effects of cigarettes particularly when available at prices similar to those for standard cigarettes, findings that should be considered by regulatory authorities.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"126 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148604396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Conditional discrimination of electroencephalogram alpha amplitudes in humans","authors":"Toshikazu Kuroda, Motoaki Kawanabe","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70128","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jeab.70128","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Conditional discrimination of high and low alpha amplitudes of electroencephalogram by humans was demonstrated in the 1950s. Despite several attempts, the original finding was only replicated once, but discrimination accuracy in the replication was only slightly above chance level and confounds may have contributed to it. Potential confounds included a systematic difference in time to exceed thresholds for high and low amplitudes (i.e., temporal cue), unequal numbers of high- and low-amplitude trials, and short trial durations that allowed for correct choices in a preceding trial to serve as a cue for the next trial due to gradual shifts in alpha amplitude. In the current study, we modified the procedure for eliminating these confounds: Participants observed a bar motion corresponding to changes in alpha amplitude for a constant duration. The direction of the bar motion (up and down) was positively or negatively correlated with the amplitude depending on the trial, and the participant's task was to discriminate the two types of trials. Three of five evaluable participants (60%) showed alpha discrimination without the above confounds, and this success rate was similar to that reported in the original study. Thus, alpha discrimination appears to be a replicable phenomenon.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"126 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148604369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jennifer R. Makar, Nathaniel C. Rice, Todd M. Myers
{"title":"Percentile schedules to shape touchscreen response locations in cynomolgus macaques","authors":"Jennifer R. Makar, Nathaniel C. Rice, Todd M. Myers","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70129","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jeab.70129","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Variations in the location of emitted responses are often critical in defining functional outcomes. Percentile schedules evaluate responses dynamically and mathematically against a set criterion that must be met for reinforcement to occur. Across five experiments, percentile schedules differentially selected shorter or longer distances between emitted response locations and an invisible, arbitrary target location on a touchscreen, in the absence of any stimulus cues other than the differential reinforcement of each response. Experiment 1 selected responses that minimized distances from the target. Experiment 2 arranged percentile schedule contingencies that reinforced minimizing or maximizing (or did not differentially reinforce) distance. Experiment 3 reinforced horizontal and vertical deviations separately and with differential weightings. Experiment 4 changed whether deviations were to be maximized or minimized halfway through each session. Experiment 5 reinforced minimizing deviations to novel random locations. In summary, percentile schedule contingencies controlled emitted response locations relative to the target location. This method extends the use of percentile schedules to nonhuman primates and a touchscreen apparatus and demonstrates control of operant responding across a continuous two-dimensional plane, with broad relevance for shaping, the study of spatial dimensions of responding, and for evaluating the effects of other variables on spatial learning.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"126 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148604341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katie Witkiewitz, Jalie A. Tucker, Timothy Hayes, Alena Kuhlemeier, Arnie Aldridge, Rudy E. Vuchinich
{"title":"Engagement in alcohol-free activities, community-level economic disadvantage, and heavy drinking following alcohol treatment","authors":"Katie Witkiewitz, Jalie A. Tucker, Timothy Hayes, Alena Kuhlemeier, Arnie Aldridge, Rudy E. Vuchinich","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70125","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jeab.70125","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The reinforcer pathology model proposed by Warren Bickel and colleagues focuses on within-individual motivational processes involving overvaluation of smaller immediate rewards relative to larger delayed rewards (delay discounting) and high drug reinforcing value (drug demand) as determinants of unhealthy substance use. We propose an extension of this model to incorporate broader socioecological factors (e.g., community-level economic environment) that may influence reward preference. Using a secondary data analysis of 1,726 individuals enrolled in a randomized clinical trial for alcohol use disorder conducted at 10 research units in the United States, this study examined alcohol-free activity engagement in predicting heavy drinking outcomes 12 months following treatment and moderation of these associations by community-level economic factors. Bayesian multilevel models indicated that engaging in more alcohol-free activities 6 months after treatment predicted lower heavy drinking frequency 12 months after treatment. Moreover, the association between alcohol-free activity engagement and lower heavy drinking frequency was stronger among participants living in more impoverished communities. These findings suggest that empirical work in the natural environment derived from the reinforcer pathology theory attend to broader environmental factors encompassed by socioecological models of health that may be critical to promote and sustain recovery from alcohol and other substance use disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"126 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148592343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maribel Rodriguez Perez, Liana S. E. Hone, Shahar Almog, Megan A. McVay, Jesse Dallery, Meredith S. Berry
{"title":"Hypothetical food purchase tasks and eating behavior: A systematized review and future directions","authors":"Maribel Rodriguez Perez, Liana S. E. Hone, Shahar Almog, Megan A. McVay, Jesse Dallery, Meredith S. Berry","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70132","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jeab.70132","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Findings from hypothetical purchase tasks have significant implications for clinical and public health applications. Despite this potential, research using food purchase tasks to assess the reinforcing value of food commodities and relations to eating behavior remains limited. In this systematized review, we sought to synthesize the literature on hypothetical food purchase tasks to enhance standardization, methodological rigor, and suggest future directions for expanding application to promising yet untested areas of eating behavior. A literature search was conducted using PubMed and PsycINFO. The 14 qualifying studies identified highlight the variability in hypothetical food purchase tasks applications and provide preliminary evidence of their effectiveness in measuring food demand across diverse populations. Results underscore implications for complementing clinical assessments and informing intervention efforts. Results also highlight the capacity of food purchase tasks to differentiate demand across specific food stimuli, experimental manipulability, and sensitivity to variations in food demand. Further, results demonstrate convergent validity between demand indices and other validated measures of reinforcing value and eating-related measures (e.g., progressive ratio schedule tasks, binge eating). Heterogeneity in application and reporting across studies could influence results and interpretation, but also demonstrate robust generality in applications. Standardization in administration, analysis, and reporting may enhance rigor and reproducibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"126 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148584678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"In praise of the hyperbola","authors":"C. M. Bradshaw","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70126","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jeab.70126","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Following a recent review by Killeen (2024) on the utility of hyperbolic functions in the experimental analysis of behavior, this article discusses recent developments of the multiplicative hyperbolic model (MHM) of reinforcer value, according to which “value” is defined as a dimensionless intervening variable derived from the multiplicative combination of separate hyperbolic functions that represent the influence of particular features of a reinforcing event (e.g. quantity, immediacy). The data reviewed here pertain to the choice behavior of rats responding for soluble reinforcers, such as sucrose solutions. Three main areas are covered: the determinants of the maximal value attainable with a particular reinforcer, the incorporation of concentration as a hyperbolic term in the definition of value, and the values of mixtures of appetitive and aversive tastants. It is argued that MHM is fundamentally a descriptive model; value is dimensionless, and its subordinate intervening variables, which define the individual hyperbolic functions, are either dimensionless or share the same scale of measurement as their respective independent variables. Therefore, it would be a mistake to identify any part of the model with any underlying biological entity. A comparison is drawn between MHM and its algebraically close analogue, classical pharmacological receptor theory.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"126 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148520657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joel Myerson, Leonard Green, Ariana Vanderveldt, Haoran Wan
{"title":"Delay–probability asymmetry in discounting: An anomaly in multiattribute choice","authors":"Joel Myerson, Leonard Green, Ariana Vanderveldt, Haoran Wan","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70123","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jeab.70123","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The discounting of delayed rewards plays an important role in everyday decision making, and steep discounting is associated with numerous behavioral problems. Most tasks used to assess delay discounting, however, are far simpler than many everyday decisions in which outcomes are both probabilistic and delayed. Probability, not delay, has been suggested to be the more salient attribute, a phenomenon we term delay–probability asymmetry. In two experiments, we compared preference on two-attribute (amount and either delay <i>or</i> probability) tasks designed to result in equivalent discounting with preference on three-attribute (amount, delay, <i>and</i> probability) tasks that included the same delay and probability conditions as well as interleaved three-attribute conditions. Although three prominent models of choice (Białaszek et al., 2020; Killeen, 2023a; Vanderveldt et al., 2015) accurately <i>described</i> preference on the three-attribute tasks, they failed to <i>predict</i> the asymmetry. Our results showed that the asymmetry resulted primarily from a decrease in delay discounting rather than from an increase in the salience of probability discounting. This decrease in degree of delay discounting may lead to more patient decisions in everyday choice situations and could reflect a shift to a better long-term decision-making strategy when outcomes are both probabilistic and delayed.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"126 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148520623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Investigating the effects of olfactory stimuli on rats' choices for probabilistic reinforcers","authors":"Jay E. Hinnenkamp, Jubal Neal, Ann Galizio","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70121","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jeab.70121","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Animals typically prefer choice alternatives that deliver food with a higher probability. However, previous research has shown that some animals will choose a lower probability alternative when it contains a signal about when food will be delivered, a phenomenon sometimes called suboptimal choice. Although this finding has been repeatedly demonstrated in pigeons, results with rats have been mixed, indicating that the stimulus modality may influence choice. In the current study, female rats' choices for delayed and probabilistic food were examined using a concurrent-chains procedure, with olfactory terminal-link stimuli. In Experiment 1, four of six rats preferred the lower probability alternative. In Experiments 2 and 3, a statistically significant group-level preference for the lower probability alternative was observed, despite increasing the number of free-choice trials in a session and reversing the location of the choice options. Data on the number of pellets rats earned across the three experiments were tracked to quantify how rats' proportion choice of the lower probability alternative affected the number of pellets earned during each session, providing insight into how much food rats are willing to forego for a choice alternative with a predictive stimulus.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"126 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148412201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
João Lucas Bernardy, Matias Avellaneda, Jéssica Bezerra Santiago, José de Oliveira Siqueira, Paulo Sergio Panse Silveira, Marcelo Frota Benvenuti
{"title":"Performance and feedback function on variable differential reinforcement of low rates: Tempus urgit vel abundat?","authors":"João Lucas Bernardy, Matias Avellaneda, Jéssica Bezerra Santiago, José de Oliveira Siqueira, Paulo Sergio Panse Silveira, Marcelo Frota Benvenuti","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70122","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jeab.70122","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The variable-differential-reinforcement-of-low-rates (VDRL) schedule introduces temporal uncertainty by requiring organisms to withhold responding for variable intervals, yet its effects on behavior remain largely unexplored. The present study examined rat performance under a 10-s VDRL schedule, focusing on the temporal organization of responding. Ten rats were exposed to VDRL after baseline training, and performance was analyzed using survival analysis of interresponse times. Results showed a consistent three-stage structure across subjects, comprising within-bout responding, an intermediate waiting phase, and bout initiation. This intermediate phase was characterized by sustained but imperfect response inhibition, suggesting adaptive waiting under temporal uncertainty. Disruption via presession feeding extended the observed range of response rates and revealed that longer pauses could increase reinforcement rates despite reduced overall responding. In parallel, we evaluated the reinforcement feedback function (RFF) associated with the VDRL. A Hill-type function provided a candidate RFF. Moreover, simulated and observed data showed close agreement, supporting the use of computational models in RFF estimation. Overall, the findings indicate that VDRL schedules generate a distinctive pattern of temporally structured behavior shaped by a trade-off between responding and waiting.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"126 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148404986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Value-based decision-making and behavioral economic constructs that distinguish people with and without cannabis use history.","authors":"Amelia J Taylor, Brandon P Miller, Amber Copeland","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70110","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jeab.70110","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Behavioral economic accounts posit that distorted valuation processes underlie cannabis decisions; however, less is known about the moment-to-moment dynamics through which value influences observable choice behavior. This study explored whether value-based decision-making and behavioral economic constructs distinguish people with and without cannabis use history. Sixty participants were recruited, half with a history of cannabis use (cannabis group) and half without (control group). Participants completed a value-based decision-making task (choosing between previously rated cannabis-related and cannabis-unrelated images). A drift-diffusion model was fitted to behavioral data (choice and response time patterns) to estimate reinforcer-specific parameters, including evidence accumulation rates and response thresholds. Compared with controls, participants with history of cannabis use had higher cannabis evidence accumulation rates (p = .023). Exploratory analyses revealed higher self-report cannabis demand across most indices (all except P<sub>max</sub>; ps ≤ .042). However, groups did not differ in cannabis-unrelated evidence accumulation rates or response thresholds for either decision type (ps ≥ .186). Notably, controls showed higher cannabis-unrelated than cannabis evidence accumulation rates (p = .001). People with a history of cannabis use ascribe a higher value to cannabis than those without such history, who in turn value cannabis less than alternative reinforcers-a pattern consistent with behavioral economic accounts of addiction.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"126 1","pages":"e70110"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148016145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}