ABSTRACT
The delay-reduction hypothesis states that the strength of a stimulus as a conditioned reinforcer is a function of the reduction in time to reinforcement correlated with the onset of that stimulus (Fantino, 1969, 1977, 1981). This hypothesis was first developed through studying choice of reinforcement schedules, though extensions have been made to areas such as observing (Case & Fantino, 1981), self-control (Ito & Asaki, 1982; Navarick & Fantino, 1976), and elicited responding (Fantino, 1982) (see also Shull’s chapter). Studies of choice for schedules of reinforcement have utilized the concurrent-chains procedure developed by Autor (1960, 1969) and Herrnstein (1964a), which were discussed in earlier chapters. Advantages of studying choice with this procedure are discussed elsewhere (e.g., Fantino, 1981).
