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Behavioral proxies compete by the time courses of their rewards, including endogenous rewards

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 May 2024

George Ainslie*
Affiliation:
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Coatesville, PA, USA www.picoeconomics.org
*
Corresponding author: George Ainslie; Email: info@picoeconomics.org

Abstract

Natural selection is slow, so behavioral goals must be based on patterns of reward. Addictions are rewarded in the same way as adaptive choice, so they can be distinguished only by their time course. In addition, the reward process is more plastic than is generally recognized, so abstract goals are shaped by the “legibility” of their proxies.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

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