On the Relation Between Variability and Creativity: A Summary of Conceptual Work and Advancements from Applied Research

Dracobly, J.D. (2019). On the relation between variability and creativity: a summary of conceptual work and advancements from applied research. Revista Brasileira de Terapia Comportamental e Cognitiva. 21(3), 289- 302. doi: https://10.31505/rbtcc.v21i3.1296

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Creativity, or previously unobserved behav-ior, is a topic of interest to scientists and the general public alike. Researchers outside behavior analysis have focused on creativity as a trait. Behavior analysts, however, have fo-cused on the variables that give rise to novel responses. Con-ceptual work has included discussions of environmental vari-ables that may promote creativity, the role of the response class, and the selective nature of reinforcement. Most ba-sic researchers, and some applied researchers, have focused on response sequences. Although fruitful in understanding variability as an operant dimension, these limited response classes have prevented a more robust understanding of nov-elty. Following the development of the lag schedule, applied researchers began using lag schedules to increase complex behavior such as responses to questions, social skills, and martial arts skills. This applied literature has provided intriguing evidence that variability is a key contributor to novelty, thus bringing creativity well into our scientific under-standing of behavior.