Jacobs Kenneth W, Morford Zachary H, King James E
Department of Psychology/296, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, United States.
Zuce Technologies, 1655 Perryton Drive, Dallas, TX, 75224, United States.
Behav Processes. 2019 May;162:197-204. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.02.006. Epub 2019 Mar 1.
Disequilibrium theory is an approach to reinforcement that reconsiders the putative response strengthening prowess of stimuli. This disequilibrium approach-the pinnacle of the response deprivation hypothesis-reliably predicts changes in behavior without reference to a response strengthening process. While the strengthening model of reinforcement has received renewed and critical appraisal in behavior analysis, its appraisers have not fully considered the role that a disequilibrium conceptualization might play in their respective theories of reinforcement. In this essay we celebrate William Timberlake's legacy by elucidating the assumptions of disequilibrium theory and by exploring its predictions and implications within behavior analysis. We treat the disequilibrium approach to reinforcement as the theory of reinforcement in behavior analysis, and in doing so, we distinguish disequilibrium conditions from motivating operations and explore future directions regarding the potential to predict generalization and maintenance outcomes. The disequilibrium approach to reinforcement is not a mere deprivation operation used for the purposes of establishing a stimulus as a "reinforcer," as it is a general theory of behavior.
不均衡理论是一种强化方法，它重新审视了刺激物假定的反应强化能力。这种不均衡方法——反应剥夺假设的巅峰——无需参考反应强化过程就能可靠地预测行为变化。虽然强化的强化模型在行为分析中受到了重新审视和批判性评价，但其评价者尚未充分考虑不均衡概念化在其各自强化理论中可能发挥的作用。在本文中，我们通过阐明不均衡理论的假设，并通过探索其在行为分析中的预测和含义，来颂扬威廉·廷伯莱克的遗产。我们将不均衡强化方法视为行为分析中的强化理论，在此过程中，我们将不均衡条件与动机操作区分开来，并探索关于预测泛化和维持结果潜力的未来方向。不均衡强化方法并非仅仅是为了将刺激物确立为“强化物”而使用的剥夺操作，因为它是一种行为的通用理论。
