Random Isn'T Real: How The Patchy Distribution Of Ecological Rewards May Generate "Incentive Hope"

Anselme & Gunturkun generate exciting new insights by integrating two disparate fields to explain why uncertain rewards produce strong motivational effects. Their conclusions are developed in a framework that assumes a random distribution of resources, uncommon in the natural environment. We argue that, by considering a realistically clumped spatiotemporal distribution of resources, their conclusions will be stronger and more complete.