Reinforcer pathology’s alternative reinforcer hypothesis: A preliminary examination.

Warren Kurt Bickel · Allison N. Tegge · Katelyn A. Carr · Leonard H. Epstein

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Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics Eating Disorders and Behaviors Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The novel theory of Reinforcer Pathology states that the temporal window of integration, measured by delay discounting (DD), determines the value of reinforcers. Based on the Reinforcer Pathology theory, the valuation of alternative reinforcers is positively associated with the length of the temporal window (negatively with rates of discounting). The objective of this article is to test the Reinforcer Pathology theory by reanalyzing data from a prior report (Carr & Epstein, 2018) in order to examine the association between the reinforcing value of alternative reinforcement and the length of the measured temporal window. METHOD: = 250) who completed an adjusting delay discounting task and the Pleasant Events Schedule (PES) were included in the study. PES provides a measurement of a reinforcement score (a cross-product of PES measures of frequency and pleasantness) for 45 noneating alternative activities. Analysis of Variance and Spearman product-moment correlations were completed. RESULTS: Delay discounting was significantly positively correlated with sedentary reinforcement and significantly negatively correlated with cognitively enriching activities. A significant interaction was observed in the preference for between food and cognitive-enriching context as a function ln(k) in predicting the cognitive-enriching activity class. Nonsignificant relationships were also observed with the correlation of delay discounting to the reinforcement of social and physical activities. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide initial support for Reinforcer Pathology theory and indicate that the temporal window over which reinforcers are integrated may be a factor contributing to a preference for some healthy or unhealthy alternative reinforcers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

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2017The NIH Science of Behavior Change Program: Transforming the science through a focus on mechanisms of change 2011Cooperation and Contagion in Web-Based, Networked Public Goods Experiments 2013The Future Is Now 2011Cooperation and contagion in web-based, networked public goods experiments 2011The Behavioral Economics and Neuroeconomics of Reinforcer Pathologies: Implications for Etiology and Treatment of Addiction 2017Bleak Present, Bright Future: Online Episodic Future Thinking, Scarcity, Delay Discounting, and Food Demand 2016Stuck in Time: Negative Income Shock Constricts the Temporal Window of Valuation Spanning the Future and the Past 2018Less is more: Negative income shock increases immediate preference in cross commodity discounting and food demand

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