SABA Experimental Fellowship Recipients
2008: Amanda Calvert, Washington University
Amanda Calvert was first exposed to behavior analysis as an undergraduate majoring in music performance at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. In an effort to become a better musician and pedagogue by broadening her understanding of “learning” processes, she enrolled in the Learning course taught by Dr. Eric Jacobs. Much to her surprise, the course centered on non-human research, but the principles of learning taught in the course mirrored the most effective teaching methods that her teachers had been applying for years. The immediate application from textbook to real life inspired her to become more involved in basic research in behavior analysis. Under Dr. Jacobs’ tutelage, she worked on choice research in both humans and non-human animals. After graduating with her bachelor’s in music performance and psychology, Amanda entered the doctoral program at Washington University in St. Louis under the supervision of Dr. Leonard Green.
Broadly, Amanda’s research interests lie in the analysis of basic processes of choice and behavioral economics. In collaboration with Dr. Green and Dr. Joel Myerson, she has spent a large part of the past two years investigating the complex choice situations characterized in delay and probability discounting. More specifically, she is concentrating on comparing both delay and probability discounting among rats, pigeons, and humans in situations that minimize differences between the laboratory procedures used across species. Some of her current work includes: a series of investigations into the parameters of reward value that determine the magnitude effect in non-humans and humans; a comparison the processes involved in discounting of delayed and iterated probabilistic rewards in pigeons and humans; a series of studies on the effect of income on delay discounting in non-humans; the beginning of an exciting area of research on the effects of “framing” on choice between two delayed rewards in pigeons.
Amanda hopes to continue her work on discounting, as well as other areas of choice and behavioral economics while at Washington University. Upon completing her Ph.D., she plans to pursue an academic position that includes both research and teaching responsibilities. Amanda wishes to thank the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis for this award and the generosity of its members who make the fellowship possible.
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