Explain this

Behavioral Variability vs Stereotypy

- Thorndike described instrumental behavior as involving the STAMPING IN of an S-R association, while Skinner wrote about behavior being strengthened or REINFORCED.

- They both emphasized that reinforcement increases the likelihood that the instrumental response will be repeated in the future. This encouraged the belief that instrumental conditioning produces repetitions of the same response-that it produces uniformity or STEREOTYPY in behavior.

- Stereotypy in responding does develop if that is allowed or required by the instrumental conditioning procedure. However, that does not mean that instrumental conditioning cannot be used to produce creative or variable responses.

- We are accustomed to thinking about the requirement for reinforcement being an observable action (i.e.: pressing a lever) but reinforcement can also be defined in term of more abstract dimensions (i.e.: participant does something unlike what it did on the preceding four trials). In such a procedure, RESPONSE VARIABILITY is the basis for instrumental reinforcement.

- One study (p.132) showed that response variability can be increased if the instrumental reinforcement procedure requires variable behavior. Others showed that response variability can be increased with instrumental conditioning.

- Thus, Thorndike and Skinner were partially correct in saying that responding becomes more stereotyped with continued instrumental conditioning (BUT, they were wrong to say that this is an inevitable outcome). Novel response forms can be readily produced by instrumental conditioning if response variation is a requirement for reinforcement.

- Class notes. It is possible to maintain variability of responses using reinforcement. However, unless variability is explicitly reinforced, responding will become more stereotypical.