The present experiments investigated the sunk cost error, an apparently irrational tendency to persist with an initial investment, in rats. This issue is of interest because some have argued that nonhuman animals do not commit this error. Two or three fixed-ratio (FR) response requirements were arranged on one lever, and an escape option was arranged on a second lever. The FRs were of different sizes, and escaping was the behavior of interest. Several variables that might influence the decision to persist versus escape were manipulated: the number of trials with different FR schedules in an experimental session (Exps. 1 and 2), effort to escape (Exp. 2), and the size of the larger FR (Exp. 3). The sunk cost error would result in never escaping, and the optimal strategy would be to escape from the larger FR. The main variable that determined persisting versus escaping was the size of the large FR. Rats that escaped from the large FR-apparently optimal behaviordid so at a suboptimal point, and hence committed the sunk cost error.
Introduction Donation of human tissue is essential for biomedical research to improve our understanding of the causes and treatment of diseases. To facilitate this, researchers need to understand what approaches and processes make donation and storage more acceptable for various communities. This study explores the perspectives of Pacific peoples living in Dunedin, New Zealand on the use of human tissues for biomedical research. Methods In April 2018, four focus groups (total of 18 participants) were held with members of the Pacific community in Dunedin. Each group was demographically different, with groups consisting of; elders of mixed ethnicity, university students, medical doctors and one Tongan group of mixed ages. An open-ended questioning style was used, with specific prompts about participant’s perceptions of the purpose and processes for donating tissues for research and things that might make them more or less likely to donate. Findings There were a diverse range of views expressed, reflecting the diversity of participants across different ethnicities and ages. While participant responses varied widely in terms of enthusiasm or caution towards different types of donation, similar themes emerged regarding the importance of detailed informed consent, and respect and trust towards both the donors and/or their tissues. The importance of culture and religion on the attitudes or perspectives towards donation was also highlighted. Finally, it was perceived that donation is likely to be more acceptable if researchers are able to explain why their work is meaningful in a Pacific context and adapt to Pacific situations and/or concerns within the research protocols. Conclusions For Pacific peoples to derive the most benefit from research initiatives it is important that processes to collect human tissue are respectful of cultural protocols and expectations to support participation. This study provides useful information to support the evolution of guidelines within the NZ research context.
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