Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
The quantitative economon model as a novel computational tool for addiction research. |
| Authors: |
Haynes JM; Department of Psychology, Georgia Southern University., Correa da Rosa J; Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai., Butelman ER; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai., Hursh SR; Institutes for Behavior Resources, Inc., Negus SS; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University. |
| Source: |
Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology [Exp Clin Psychopharmacol] 2026 Aug; Vol. 34 (4), pp. 352-362. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 16. |
| Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
| Language: |
English |
| Journal Info: |
Publisher: American Psychological Association Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9419066 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1936-2293 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10641297 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Exp Clin Psychopharmacol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): |
Original Publication: Washington, DC : American Psychological Association, c1993- |
| MeSH Terms: |
Substance-Related Disorders*/economics , Behavior, Addictive*/economics , Computer Simulation* , Models, Economic*, Humans |
| Abstract: |
An economon is a dyadic economic unit of two participants who exchange mutually reinforcing commodities (e.g., addictive substances for money). A human economon often consists of a buyer providing money to a supplier, while the supplier reciprocally provides some commodity to the buyer. Here, we develop the quantitative economon model to characterize transactional behavior between individual buyers and suppliers. According to the model, transactions between a buyer and supplier depend on their respective economic demand for the commodities exchanged. Additionally, the model assumes that demand for a given commodity will fluctuate across sequential transaction opportunities. When transactions succeed, commodities are exchanged and consumed, and demand declines on the subsequent encounter due to satiation. When transactions fail, commodities are not exchanged, and demand increases on the subsequent encounter due to deprivation. Using a computational implementation of the quantitative economon model, we simulated transaction patterns maintained by four hypothetical situations with high or low levels of deprivation crossed with high or low levels of satiation (i.e., a 2 × 2 matrix of conditions). Simulations revealed distinct patterns of transactional behavior depending on the specific levels of satiation and deprivation. When deprivation levels were high and satiation levels were low, simulated transaction rates were characteristic of the high consumption rates observed with addictive commodities such as drugs. In sum, the quantitative economon model provides a framework for modeling, investigating, and predicting patterns of human transactional behavior, applicable to the trajectory of substance use disorders at an individual and group level in the context of real-world markets. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved). |
| Grant Information: |
P30 DA033934 United States DA NIDA NIH HHS; U01 DA053625 United States DA NIDA NIH HHS; National Institutes of Health; National Institute on Drug Abuse |
| Entry Date(s): |
Date Created: 20260317 Date Completed: 20260723 Latest Revision: 20260723 |
| Update Code: |
20260724 |
| PubMed Central ID: |
PMC13002121 |
| DOI: |
10.1037/pha0000835 |
| PMID: |
41843457 |
| Database: |
MEDLINE |