An Evaluation of Procedures that Affect Response Variability

Abstract

Response variability has traditionally been studied as both a by-product of schedules of reinforcement and as a dimension of operant behavior. More recently, researchers have focused on inducement (via extinction), direct reinforcement (via percentile and lag schedules), and stimulus control of response variability. The purposes of the current study were to (a) determine general levels of response variability across a large number of children, (b) replicate and extend previous research on effects of various procedures on the production and maintenance of both variable and novel responses, and (c) determine if stimuli correlated with response variability and response repetition contingencies could immediately affect response variability. In Study 1, there was a nearly bi-modal distribution of participants who emitted low and high variability. In Study 2, for the majority of children, variability increased when exposed to extinction but both fixed-lag 4 and variable-lag 4 schedules produced the highest levels of variability and novelty. Finally, in Study 3, stimuli correlated with each contingency were effectively used to evoke relatively rapid alternation between repetition and variation. Implications and considerations for future researchers are discussed.