Drive-Reduction Theory And Human Behavior - Simply Psychology

Conditioning means learning about the world through reinforcement. Hull explained human behavior in terms of conditioning and reinforcement.

According to drive reduction theory, conditioned responses are reinforced or strengthened because they contribute to drive reduction.

In drive-reduction theory, the reduction of the drive functions as a reinforcement of the behavior that helped the person satisfy their unfulfilled need.

According to the theory, such reinforcement increases the likelihood that the person will behave in the same manner in the future to address that particular drive.

Stimuli associated with reducing arousal become associated with pleasure and act as reinforcers. For example, if someone has a very high urge to eat when hungry, they might eat a snack to satisfy their appetite and reduce their hunger drive.

Eventually, that person may begin to associate the feeling of eating a snack (the experience of drive reduction) with the stimulus that induces that behavior (the sight or smell of snacks), which leads to reward-driven learning and strengthens the association between those stimuli (Hull, 1952).

Drive-reduction theory, therefore, works on the same stimulus-response relationship that is associated with the conditioning form of learning.

Mathematical Model

Hull created a mathematical ‘formula’ to explain his theory of human behavior, which is as follows:

sEr = V x D x K x J x sHr – sIr – Ir – sOr – sLr

• sEr: Excitatory potential, or the likelihood that an organism will produce a response (r) to a stimulus (s).

• V: Stimulus intensity dynamism, meaning some stimuli will have greater influence than others.

• D: Drive strength, determined by the amount of biological deprivation.

• K: Incentive motivation, or the size or magnitude of the goal.

• J: The delay before the organism is allowed to seek reinforcement.

• sHr: Habit strength, established by the amount of previous conditioning.

• sIr: Conditioned inhibition caused by previous lack of reinforcement.

• Ir: Reactive inhibition or fatigue.

• sOr: Random error.

• sLr: Reaction threshold, or the smallest amount of reinforcement that will produce learning.

Hull was criticized for having an overly complex formula. It may be easier to consider the drive-reduction theory in 2 simpler parts:

• Internal stimulus + response = drive reduction

• Drive reduction = repetition