Probability-Reward Preferences of Rhesus Monkeys

Abstract

The relative preferences of rhesus monkeys for reward probability versus amount were investigated with procedures which contrasted general experience with specific instructions, and evaluated the relationship between probability-amount combinations and preference strength. Four stimulus objects, each signifying a different combination of reward frequency and amount (100% with one unit; 50% with two units; 33% with three units; or 25% with four units), were presented in pairs, one pair per daily session, with trial schedules providing the same amount of reward within each set of 12 trials. In Phase A, 4 monkeys (Group 1) were tested on the six choice-pairs with no preliminary training. In Phase B, Group 1 was joined by an additional 4 monkeys (Group 2), and each of the tasks was preceded by a demonstration of the relevant stimuli, one at a time, together with their associated probabilities and amounts. Group 1 animals developed preferences during Phase A for the more frequently rewarded objects, which persisted into Phase B, whereas Group 2 animals showed no preferences. This result indicates that preliminary instructions concerning the reward combinations associated with stimulus objects can prevent the development of a preference for greater probability over greater amount of reward, but cannot extinguish it once it has been formed or reestablished within the context of a particular task.