Overpredicting and Underprofiting in Pricing Decisions

This research examines sellers' price‐setting behavior and discovers a naturally occurring mismatch between sellers and buyers: Sellers who make a price decision often consider alternative prices and engage in the joint evaluation mode, whereas buyers who make a purchase decision see only the finally set price and are in the single evaluation mode. This mismatch in evaluation modes leads sellers to overpredict buyers' price sensitivity and underprice their products. However, these effects apply only to products unfamiliar to buyers and without salient reference prices and can be alleviated if sellers are encouraged to mimic single evaluation when making pricing decisions. These propositions are empirically tested and verified. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simon效应及其反转现象作用机制的研究

研究运用任务干扰的实验范式,试图从探讨刺激出现的空间位置与反应效果之间的关系来推测Simon效应及其反转现象的作用机制。结果表明:(1)当相关刺激-反应匹配不相容时,颜色刺激在左、右位置呈现,当明显标记反应键时,出现Simon效应的反转。(2)当手指遮住反应键的标记时,没有反转。(3)当颜色刺激在中央位置,声音在左、右耳发生时,没有反转。说明显示-控制排列对应性是产生Simon效应反转的最重要因素,逻辑再编码只起到次要的作用。     

An experimental analysis of electricity conservation procedures

Daily electricity consumption of four families was recorded for 106 days. A reversal design, consisting of various experimental conditions interspersed between repeated baseline conditions, was used. During experimental conditions, daily prompts (written conservation slogans attached to front doors) and/or daily feedback (daily kilowatts consumed and daily cost information) were in effect. Maximum consumption occurred during the initial baseline; minimum consumption occurred during different experimental conditions for different families. The mean decrease from the maximum to the minimum for all families was 35%. Reversals in consumption were demonstrated in three families, although successive baselines tended to decrease. No clear differences in effectiveness between prompting and feedback conditions were apparent. The procedures used resulted in considerable dollar savings for the families.     

拼读困难儿童某些认知特征的实验研究

通过两级筛选以验证中国儿童在学习汉语拼音时是否也存在拼读困难,并通过认知心理学方法对拼读困难儿童与同年龄正常儿童进行比较研究,以期深入了解他们的认知整合能力和精细分辨能力。研究结果提示：１．经对１０６０名小学一、二年级学童进行卷面和口试筛选,共发现１２名儿童有汉语拼音拼读困难,约占总样本的１２％。２．拼读困难儿童的某些认知整合能力和精细分辨能力均比正常儿童差,这可能是他们拼读困难的认知心理学基础。     

Context specificity of conditioned-reinforcement effects on discrimination acquisition

Pigeons were trained on a series of reversals of a simultaneous form discrimination in which the trial outcomes were separated from the choice responses by an 8-s delay interval. Different conditions were defined by the stimuli occurring during the two halves of the delay interval. Discrimination learning was greatly facilitated by having differential stimuli during the delay following correct versus incorrect choices. When the differential stimuli appeared only at the midpoint of the delay, some facilitation occurred relative to when no different stimuli occurred, but there was substantially less facilitation than when the differential stimuli occurred immediately contingent on choice. A reversed-stimulus condition, in which the stimulus at the onset of the delay following a correct choice was the same as that during the last segment of the delay following an incorrect choice, and the stimulus at the onset of the delay following an incorrect choice was the same as that preceding food during the last segment of the delay following a correct choice, also facilitated discrimination learning relative to the nondifferential stimulus conditions.     

Reversal of baseline relations and stimulus equivalence: I. Adults

Following the emergence of two four-member equivalence classes (A1B1C1D1 and A2B2C2D2), 5 students were exposed to a series of phases including a baseline conditional discrimination reversal (i.e., choosing D2 was reinforced and D1 punished given Sample A1; choosing D1 was reinforced and D2 punished given Sample A2), the delayed introduction of CD/DC transitivity/equivalence probes, DE conditional discrimination training, a second baseline conditional discrimination reversal (i.e., choosing C2 was reinforced given B1, etc.), and a return to original baseline reinforcement contingencies. Results showed that baseline and symmetry probe performances were extremely sensitive to baseline modifications. In contrast, patterns on transitivity/equivalence probes remained predominantly consistent with the originally established equivalence classes, although there were exceptions on some E probe relations for 2 subjects. The dissociation between baseline and symmetry versus transitivity/equivalence patterns may have important implications because it is not easily accounted for by current models of equivalence phenomena.     

偏好反转的兼容性假设的实验研究

本文采用一种新的偏好诱导方法——实物交换方法 ,对偏好反转中的兼容性假设进行实验验证。实验结果支持兼容性假设 ,并发现了一种新的现象 ,即偏好反转的倒置现象。偏好反转与偏好反转的倒置相映成趣 ,为解释风险决策中偏好反转的兼容性假设提供了充足的证据 ,也对风险决策中的纯粹理性提出了更多的挑战。     

APPLYING BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS TO CLINICAL PROBLEMS: REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF HABIT REVERSAL

This article provides a review and analysis of habit reversal, a multicomponent procedure developed by Azrin and Nunn (1973, 1974) for the treatment of nervous habits, tics, and stuttering. The article starts with a discussion of the behaviors treated with habit reversal, behavioral covariation among habits, and functional analysis and assessment of habits. Research on habit reversal and simplified versions of the procedure is then described. Next the article discusses the limitations of habit reversal and the evidence for its generality. The article concludes with an analysis of the behavioral processes involved in habit reversal and suggestions for future research.     

ANALYSIS OF A SIMPLIFIED TREATMENT FOR STUTTERING IN CHILDREN

We investigated the effectiveness of a simplified program for the treatment of stuttering in children. The simplified treatment included awareness training, in which the subjects learned to detect every occurrence of stuttering; training a response incompatible with stuttering, which involved relaxation and regulation of air flow over the larynx when speaking; and social support, which involved parent-delivered prompts and praise of children's use of the techniques in everyday environments. Eight children were treated in their homes with the simplified treatment, in a multiple baseline across subjects design, and all reached the criterion level of less than 3% words stuttered. In addition, the reduction in stuttering generalized to the school setting and was maintained at posttreatment (10 to 13 months). The subjects' rates of speech remained stable throughout baseline and treatment. Pretreatment and posttreatment ratings by the parents showed that they found treatment to be both acceptable and credible. Finally, social validity measures revealed a noticeable improvement in the subjects' speech to parents and speech pathologists.     

Stimulus Presentation Ratios And The Outcomes For Correct Responses In Signal-detection Procedures

Three pigeons were trained to discriminate between two line orientations (S₁ and S₂). A left-key peck was correct when S₁ was presented, and a right key-peck was correct when S₂ was presented. In all procedures, correct responses were occasionally reinforced with food paired with the presentation of the magazine light. Incorrect responses produced a blackout. Six detection procedures were used. In the first, the signal presentation ratio was varied across conditions and the reinforcer ratio was allowed to covary. In the second, the signal presentation ratio was held constant at 1:1 and the reinforcer ratio varied across conditions. In the third, the signal presentation ratio was varied across conditions and the reinforcer ratio was held constant at 1:1. In these three procedures, correct responses that were not scheduled for reinforcement were followed by blackout. The remaining three procedures repeated those described above with one procedural change: Nonreinforced but correct trials were followed by the presentation of the magazine light. Birds showed systematic preferences for the key associated with the stimulus presented or reinforced most often. There was no change in the birds' performance over changes in the feedback for nonreinforced but correct responses.