Choice and the Initial Delay to a Reinforcer

Some effects of procedural variables on operant choice behavior

Procedural variables are concerned with the way subjects contact stimulus, response, and reinforcer variables and relations in an experiment. Procedural variables may therefore be understood as tools that allow researchers and theorists to explore the generality of their conceptions of independent variables, behavioral processes, and quantitative laws of behavior. The present article reviews data from several studies showing how procedural variables can influence the outcome of operant choice experiments, even when nominal independent variables remain constant. An important theoretical issue raised by these data is whether researchers have most usefully identified the independent variables that they incorporate into their quantitative models. Particular attention is paid to how procedural variables can influence the measure of reinforcement frequency over time that best correlates with the distribution of choice responding over time.