On the "Strength" of Behavior

Area of Science:

• Behavioral science
• Philosophy of science

Background:

• The concept of response strength is debated within the natural science of behavior.
• It is implicitly used by radical behaviorists and explicitly by Palmer (2009) across overt, covert, and latent behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reconsider the concept of response strength in relation to the foundations of a natural science of behavior.
• To argue against the necessity and potential harm of response strength, particularly when applied to nonobservable events.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of the response strength concept.
• Critique of applying causal status to nonobservable events.
• Proposal of a molar view as an alternative framework.

Main Results:

• The concept of response strength is deemed superfluous and potentially harmful to scientific endeavors.
• Interpreting physiological data (e.g., EEG) as indicators of response strength risks reducing behavior to underlying mechanisms.
• A discrete unit view of behavior, often associated with response strength, invites conceptual errors.

Conclusions:

• The concept of response strength should be abandoned in favor of a more comprehensive approach.
• A molar view of behavior, which considers temporally extended actions, is proposed as a superior alternative.
• Focusing on observable, temporally extended behavior avoids the pitfalls of positing unobservable constructs like response strength.