ABSTRACT
Just how behavior should be viewed with respect to simple versus complex is itself controversial. It is maintained by the radical behaviorists, led by Skinner (1953, 1974), that, once a full understanding o f basic operant behavior is achieved, the "complexities" o f behavior will be found to be more apparent than real. By contrast, there are other psychologists who doubt that a ll o f the complexities o f creative problem solving by animals and humans are reducible to the operations which provide fo r the acquisition and emission o f operants. They hold that an understanding of covert mediating mechanisms likely will be necessary to understand creative, innovative behaviors.
