ABSTRACT
A consideration of the interaction between responses and reinforcement has been the heart of operant analysis. This may be due to the original Skinnerian position that operant behavior was emitted rather than evoked. That is, stimuli were not viewed as controlling operant behavior in the way they did with species-specific or respondent behavior (Skinner, 1938). While it is true that eventually Skinner modified his views and acknowledged the importance of stimuli which at least “set the occasion” for the operant response, the response bias has generally been maintained in theoretical analyses of operant responding (e.g., Herrnstein, 1970; Zeiler, 1979). I have no intention of minimizing the importance of response variables, particularly in the molecular structure of operant responding. However, I do hope to show that a consideration of motivational and stimulus processing variables is also warranted in analyzing responding to obtain positive reinforcement or avoid aversive reinforcement.
