COMMITMENT USING PUNISHMENT

Experimental parameters were adjusted so that pigeons' pairwise choice s among three alternatives reflected the following order of preference : (a) a smaller-sooner reinforcer, (b) a larger-later reinforcer, and (c) the smaller-sooner reinforcer followed by a punishment (consisting of an extended blackout period). After this order of preference was e stablished, the pigeons were exposed to a two-link, concurrent-chain-l ike choice procedure. One terminal link consisted of a choice between the smaller-sooner and the larger-later reinforcer; the other terminal link was identical to the first except that the smaller-sooner reinfo rcer was followed by blackout punishment. The pigeons' preference (in their initial-link choice) for the terminal link with the punished sma ller-sooner alternative increased as the delay between the initial and terminal links increased. By choosing this terminal link, the pigeons are said to have ''committed'' themselves to obtaining the larger-lat er reinforcer. However, unlike prior studies of commitment (e.g., Rach lin & Green, 1972), it was still possible after making the commitment for the pigeons to choose the smaller-sooner reinforcer and undergo th e punishment. The pigeons did in fact occasionally make this highly de leterious choice.