Schedule-induced and operant mechanisms that influence response variability: a review and implications for future investigations.(Clinical report): An article from: The Psychological Record

This digital document is an article from The Psychological Record, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2007. The length of the article is 11919 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: Response variability, a fundamental characteristic of behavior, may be in some cases an induced effect of reinforcement schedules. Research on schedule-induced response variability has shown that continuous reinforcement results in less variability than intermittent reinforcement schedules. Studies on the effects of intermittency of reinforcement, periodicity of reinforcement, and type of schedule have resulted in mixed findings. Contingencies have also been arranged to directly influence operant response variability. These include lag reinforcement schedules, differential reinforcement of novel behavior, differential reinforcement of less frequent behavior, and percentile reinforcement schedules. These procedures are discussed in terms of practicality and implications for use in applied settings. Contingencies and treatment packages that indirectly influence response variability are addressed in terms of response allocation, response generalization, and response covariation. Studies on the effects of a variety of other variables on response variability are also reported, such as levels of food deprivation and drugs. Finally, directions for applied research in response variability are suggested.

Citation Details
Title: Schedule-induced and operant mechanisms that influence response variability: a review and implications for future investigations.(Clinical report)
Author: Ronald Lee
Publication:The Psychological Record (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 57 Issue: 3 Page: 429(27)

Article Type: Clinical report

Distributed by Thomson Gale