An Integrative Approach to Learning Processes: Revisiting Substitution of Functions

Abstract

Based on the assumption that substitution of functions or function transfer is a fundamental principle underlying all conditioning processes, we attempt to produce an account wherein both operant and respondent events are understood in terms of substitution. We contend that, if event interactions are described in a way that accounts for all the stimulus and response events involved in a contingency relation, and further, if we assume symmetry as a property of substitution of functions as excitatory backward conditioning findings seem to suggest, traditional distinctions between operant and respondent conditioning may be rendered unnecessary. We present a reconceptualization of respondent and operant processes and suggest alternatives for empirical research.