Delay-reduction theory - The case for temporal context: Comment on Grace and Savastano (2000)

R. C. Grace and H. I. Savastano (2000) have devised a procedure to determin e whether the effectiveness of a stimulus as a conditioned reinforcer depen ds on the temporal context of reinforcement. Although they interpret their results in terms of the contextual choice model, which maintains that value is independent of context, the results also support delay-reduction theory , which maintains that value depends an temporal context. It is argued that the delay-reduction view of the role of temporal context is also intuitive ly more plausible and more consistent with the way choice responds to chang es in conditions.