W. Timberlake, BEHAVIOR SYSTEMS AND REINFORCEMENT - AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH, Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 60(1), 1993, pp. 105-128
Most traditional conceptions of reinforcement are based on a simple ca
usal model in which responding is strengthened by the presentation of
a reinforcer. I argue that reinforcement is better viewed as the outco
me of constraint of a functioning causal system comprised of multiple
interrelated causal sequences, complex linkages between causes and eff
ects, and a set of initial conditions. Using a simplified system conce
ption of the reinforcement situation, I review the similarities and dr
awbacks of traditional reinforcement models and analyze the recent con
tributions of cognitive, regulatory, and ecological approaches. Finall
y, I show how the concept of behavior systems can begin to incorporate
both traditional and recent conceptions of reinforcement in an integr
ative approach.