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At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Service attributes and the choice for STD health services in persons seeking a medical examination for an STD.

This article examines choice for STD health services among patients suspecting a STD. A total of 825 patients who sought medical treatment at an STD clinic, a Family Planning Clinic or a General Practitioner participated in this study. Special STD clinics are not well known among patients visiting their GP or a Family Planning Clinic. Both perceived unprofessionality and embarrassment were reasons for not asking a GP for medical treatment and for not being loyal to their GP after a first visit. Most respondents evaluate the 16 service attributes as important and/or annoying. Differences in beliefs and evaluations about the separate service attributes existed between the three choice behavior groups. The results of this study may be useful in making persuasive arguments for the existence of special STD clinics, especially when competing for limited resources. However, attitudes to service attributes and social norms explained only 24% of the variance in scores between the three choice behavior groups. This means that other factors (have to) play a role in actual choice behavior. Future research should take into account factors, such as: personality traits, perceived behavioral control and confidentiality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Prefrontal brain activity predicts temporally extended decision-making behavior.

Although functional neuroimaging studies of human decision-making processes are increasingly common, most of the research in this area has relied on passive tasks that generate little individual variability. Relatively little attention has been paid to the ability of brain activity to predict overt behavior. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated the neural mechanisms underlying behavior during a dynamic decision task that required subjects to select smaller, short-term monetary payoffs in order to receive larger, long-term gains. The number of trials over which the longterm gains accrued was manipulated experimentally (2 versus 12). Event-related neural activity in right lateral prefrontal cortex, a region associated with high-level cognitive processing, selectively predicted choice behavior in both conditions, whereas insular cortex responded to fluctuations in amount of reward but did not predict choice behavior. These results demonstrate the utility of a functional neuroimaging approach in behavioral psychology, showing that (a) highly circumscribed brain regions are capable of predicting complex choice behavior, and (b) fMRI has the ability to dissociate the contributions of different neural mechanisms to particular behavioral tasks.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Drug discrimination training with a single choice trial per session.

All drug discrimination procedures share in common the practice of providing for multiple choice opportunities per training session. This practice allows nondrug cues (presence or absence of reinforcement) to mediate choice behavior during that portion of the session following the initial choice. Investigators who have acknowledged this problem typically use only first-trial choice performance to evaluate discriminative control by the drug cue, and consider additional choice training following the delivery or nondelivery of the first reinforcer to be facilitatory in establishing drug-mediated discriminative control. In this experiment, rats were trained to discriminate 4.0 mg/kg morphine from saline in a novel procedure that employed a single choice trial per training session. Choice performance was characterized during discrimination acquisition and in subsequent stimulus generalization testing. The results indicated that when all reinforcers are made contingent on correct performance during a single choice trial, rapid and stable control of drug-mediated choice behavior, is observed. In addition, the results demonstrated that additional choice training following the delivery or nondelivery of the first reinforcer is not a necessary antecedent toward establishing drug-mediated discriminative control.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Same-different texture discrimination in pigeons: testing competing models of discrimination and stimulus integration.

The choice behavior of 6 pigeons performing a mulltidimensional same-different texture discrimination was examined. On each trial, they had to choose among 2 choice hoppers depending on whether a color, shape, or redundant (color and shape) target signal was present or not in a textured stimulus. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were produced by variations in the priori signal presentation probabilities across conditions. Quantitative analyses of these ROC curves were used to evaluate different competing theories of discrimination (signal detection vs. high-threshold-default response models) and information integration (independent observations, additive integration, unidimensional models). The results suggested the structure of the pigeons' choice behavior in this same-different discrimination was best described by an unequal variance signal detection model involving a unidimensional evidence variable (e.g., degree of difference).

Animals↗
PubMed2006

The effects of switching behavior on the evolutionary diversification of generalist consumers.

Mathematical models of consumer-resource systems explore the evolution of a morphological trait that determines two resource acquisition rates in a generalist consumer. The consumer also has the ability to adjust its relative consumption of the two resources via behavioral (or developmental) plasticity subject to a trade-off. The analysis examines both stable systems and those with sustained fluctuations in abundance. In both cases, it seeks to determine how the behavioral choice affects the evolution of the morphological characters. The presence of adaptive switching behavior transforms the shape of the relationship between the morphological character and fitness in a manner that usually leads to evolution of two or more morphological types. As in models without switching, the presence of sustained cycles in resource densities often allows the evolution of a generalist as well as two specialists. However, switching expands and shifts the parameter regions yielding this outcome and in some cases allows the evolution and coexistence of at least two generalists as well as the two specialists. This level of diversity supported by only two resources is not seen in the absence of behavioral choice and resource cycles. The results suggest major roles for both behavior and environmental variation in adaptive radiation.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1987

Effects of single or multiple choice trials per session on drug discrimination performance.

Drug discrimination procedures typically provide for multiple choice opportunities per training session. This practice allows non-drug cues (presence or absence of reinforcement) to mediate choice behavior during that portion of the session following the initial choice. In this experiment, rats were trained to discriminate 1.0 mg/kg cyclazocine from saline using a novel procedure that employed a single-choice trial per training session. Drug discrimination acquisition and generalization were compared to those of rats given discrimination training with 30 choice trials per session. The one-trial procedure yielded stable and reliable acquisition but more slowly than did the multiple trials procedure. The one-trial procedure produced longer first trial choice latencies and enhanced the tendency for subjects to respond on both choice levers during the first trial. The cyclazocine generalization functions were comparable, but the one-trial subjects more often responded on both choice levers, particularly when administered intermediate test doses of cyclazocine. Control of choice behavior by the reinforcer cue was evaluated on a mid-session cue reversal test. Multiple-trial subjects persisted in responding on the saline level following a mid-session injection of cyclazocine, whereas one-trial subjects shifted to the cyclazocine-appropriate lever.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Rural Indian women's care-seeking behavior and choice of provider for gynecological symptoms.

This study uses data from the India National Family and Health Survey-2 conducted in 1998-99 to investigate the level and correlates of care-seeking and choice of provider for gynecological symptoms among currently married women in rural India. Of the symptomatic women surveyed, 31 percent sought care, overwhelmingly from private providers (70 percent). Only 8 percent of women consulted frontline paramedical health workers. Care-seeking behavior and type of providers consulted varied significantly across different Indian states. Significant differentials in care-seeking by age, caste, religion, education, household wealth, and women's autonomy suggest the existence of multiple cultural, economic, and demand-side barriers to care-seeking. Although socially disadvantaged women were less likely than better-off women to consult private providers, the majority of even the poorest, uneducated, and lower-caste women consulted private providers. Geographical access to public health facilities had no significant association with choice of provider, whereas access to private providers had only a moderately significant association with that choice. The predominance of use of private services for self-perceived gynecological morbidity warrants the inclusion of private providers in the national reproductive health strategy to enhance its effectiveness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Comparison of health promotion and deterrent prompts in increasing use of stairs over escalators.

This study compared the effectiveness of two point-of-decision prompts within the same environmental setting. The effects of a health promotion sign were compared with activity change resulting from a deterrent sign. Individuals were observed using the upward stairs or upward escalator at a midwest regional air port during a 5-week period in which intervention signs were compared with no sign conditions on activity choice. During Weeks 1, 3, and 5 behaviors were assessed without any prompts. During Week 2, a health promotion sign was posted at the behavioral choice point which read "Keep your heart healthy, use the stairs." During Week 4, a deterrent sign which read "Please limit escalator use to staff and those unable to use the stairs" was posted at the same behavioral choice point. Younger (<40) women (14.8%) and men (10.8%) used the stairs more frequently, followed by older women (9.3%) and older men (6.9%). A hierarchical log linear analysis showed that stair use increased during both interventions, which was significantly moderated by age. Point-of-decision prompts appear to be effective environmental interventions for promoting increases in physical activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Ontogeny of cholinergic mediation of behaviors in the rat.

In a series of six experiments, cholinergic mediation of behavior was studied in immature rats. It was found that although scopolamine disrupted discriminative choice behavior in both 15- and 23-day-old rat pups, it increased latency to choice in 15-day-olds and decreased latency to choice in 23-day-olds. This disruption of discriminated choice behavior was not due to differential shock thresholds or differences in locomotor activity between drug-treated and control animals, nor was it specific to a T-maze shock-escape discrimination task. These results suggest that central cholinergic mediation of different behaviors may mature at different rates.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1995

[An electrophysiological analysis of the processes in the evaluation of successfulness in the choice of behavioral programs].

The magnitude of the N1 and P3 waves of event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded in the dog medial frontal cortex were shown to depend on the behavioural context of separate trials. The most prominent P3 waves occurred in two behavioural situations: 1) when an unexpected non-reward followed previously rewarded conditioned responses, and 2) when an absence of the reward resulted in behavioural type shift in the next trial. The enhancement of the P3 seems to be due to a common factor: the discordance between the CR or its results and the previously developed behavioural trend.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Fast food restaurant use among adolescents: associations with nutrient intake, food choices and behavioral and psychosocial variables.

OBJECTIVE: To examine demographic, behavioral and dietary correlates of frequency of fast food restaurant use in a community-based sample of 4746 adolescent students. DESIGN: A survey was administered to students in classrooms at 31 secondary schools in a large metropolitan area in Minnesota, United States. Height and body weight were measured. SUBJECTS: Students in grades 7-12 who were enrolled in participating schools, had parental consent and were in attendance on the day of data collection. MEASUREMENTS: Frequency of fast food restaurant use (FFFRU), dietary intake, and demographic and behavioral measures were self-reported. Dietary intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Height and body weight were directly measured. RESULTS: FFFRU was positively associated with intake of total energy, percent energy from fat, daily servings of soft drinks, cheeseburgers, french fries and pizza, and was inversely associated with daily servings of fruit, vegetables and milk. FFFRU was positively associated with student employment, television viewing, home availability of unhealthy foods, and perceived barriers to healthy eating, and was inversely associated with students' own and perceived maternal and peer concerns about healthy eating. FFFRU was not associated with overweight status. CONCLUSIONS: FFFRU is associated with higher energy and fat intake among adolescents. Interventions to reduce reliance on fast food restaurants may need to address perceived importance of healthy eating as well as time and convenience barriers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

The role of probability of reinforcement in models of choice.

A general account of choice behavior in animals, the cumulative effects model, has been proposed by Davis, Staddon, Machado, and Palmer (1993). Its basic assumptions are that choice occurs in an all-or-none fashion for the response alternative with the highest probability of reinforcement and that the probability of reinforcement for each response alternative is calculated from the entire history of training (total number of reinforced responses/total number of reinforced and nonreinforced responses). The model's reliance on probability of reinforcement as the fundamental variable controlling choice behavior subjects the cumulative effects model to the same criticisms as have been directed toward other related models of choice, notably melioration theory. Several different data sets show that the relative value of a response alternative is not predicted by the obtained probability of reinforcement associated with that alternative. Alternative approaches to choice theory are considered.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Evaluating the reinforcement value of clinic-based privileges through a multiple choice procedure.

A novel multiple choice procedure was utilized to evaluate the potential reinforcement value of three clinic-based incentives available during routine methadone treatment: methadone take-homes, methadone dose increases, and extra counseling. Fourteen methadone maintenance patients who were not earning any of these incentives completed a multiple choice form in which they made choices between pairs of incentives and subsequently between each incentive and a series of monetary values. Choice behavior was intermittently reinforced by randomly awarding to patients one of their chosen preferences. Results demonstrated that take-homes were worth US$20.24 and were rated as more desirable than dose increases (US$13.89) and extra counseling (US$7.47). The study updates and extends past research in this area and provides a methodology for establishing both a monetary value for clinic-based incentives and an absolute magnitude between preferences. The procedure could be used to examine a larger number of potential reinforcers and to understand individual differences in responding to incentive-based treatment programs.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation.

A meta-analysis of 128 studies examined the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. As predicted, engagement-contingent, completion-contingent, and performance-contingent rewards significantly undermined free-choice intrinsic motivation (d = -0.40, -0.36, and -0.28, respectively), as did all rewards, all tangible rewards, and all expected rewards. Engagement-contingent and completion-contingent rewards also significantly undermined self-reported interest (d = -0.15, and -0.17), as did all tangible rewards and all expected rewards. Positive feedback enhanced both free-choice behavior (d = 0.33) and self-reported interest (d = 0.31). Tangible rewards tended to be more detrimental for children than college students, and verbal rewards tended to be less enhancing for children than college students. The authors review 4 previous meta-analyses of this literature and detail how this study's methods, analyses, and results differed from the previous ones.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1980

Mother-child management of interactions at choice points.

This ethological study investigates the interactional processes involved in the management of choice behaviors between mothers and their children in a natural situation. The research problem concerns the behavioral mechanism of "offering choices," and its role in establishing children in control of the management of interactions at choice points.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2007

Parameters of variable reward distributions that affect risk sensitivity of honey bees.

We investigated risk sensitivity with harnessed honey bees in a proboscis-extension conditioning paradigm. We conditioned each subject to turn its head and extend its proboscis towards one of two presented odors; one odor was associated with a constant reward and the other with a variable reward that was either low or high, with probabilities P and (1-P), respectively. Reward values and probabilities were set so that the expected value of the variable alternative was equal to that of the constant one. We performed six experimental conditions in which variability was in reward volume and three conditions in which variability was in reward concentration. The experiments were designed to systematically test the effect of various parameters that describe the reward distributions on levels of risk sensitivity. Risk aversion was greatest when variability was in reward volume, and the variable distribution included zero rewards and had a high coefficient of variation (CV=s.d./mean). The variance itself did not affect risk sensitivity. Subjects were risk indifferent when the variable distribution did not include zero rewards, however these distributions were positively skewed. The independent effects of zero rewards and distribution skew remain to be tested. Subjects were risk indifferent in conditions where variability was in reward concentration, but concentration range was limited and these distributions did not include zero rewards and were skewed. We conclude that risk aversion to variability in reward amount is a robust phenomenon for some reward distributions. A systematic evaluation of the effect of various reward distribution parameters on choice behavior should complement functional and mechanistic approaches.

Analysis of Variance↗