Self-Control in Adult Humans: Effects of Counting and Timing

The effects on choice behavior of attempting to interfere with adult females' counting and timing behaviors were examined using a self-control paradigm (choices between larger, more delayed and smaller, less delayed reinforcers). Reinforcers consisted of opportunities to earn points exchangeable for money. There were four groups of 10 subjects each: a control group and three groups that listened to a list of numbers during the entire experiment, with two of these groups being asked to perform a counting or a division task with the numbers. Subjects in the two task groups demonstrated more self-control and earned fewer reinforcers than did subjects in the two no task groups. The results suggest that subjects with diminished cognitive capacity tend to choose the alternative that gives them the greatest amount of reinforcement in a given trial (the self-control alternative) and that they may not respond so as to maximize overall reinforcement.