The law of Effect and the origin of behavior

Abstract

Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) can be considered one of the natural inheritors of the tradition initiated by Thorndike in 1898. Aspects reflected in the Law of Effect, such as behaviour selection and maintenance, have been greatly taken into consideration by behaviour analysts, thus becoming a tradicional and fundamental field of study for EAB. However, and in contrast with this, EAB is frequently accused of rarely considering - or even rejecting and abandoning - the problems of the origin, novelty and variation in behaviour. In this article we review some theoretical approaches that, within EAB, have studied this supposedly abandoned aspect of the Law of Effect. Principles proposed by these theories in order to explain behavioural novelty and variation are also presented. The revision begins with Thorndike and Skinner”s initial proposals about the origin of behaviour, moving on to to the most recent selection approaches refered to novel and complex behaviour.