Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOverviewConditioning and ReinforcementMathematical Theory of BehaviorCriticismInfluenceAlternatives

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Overview

Conditioning and Reinforcement

Mathematical Theory of Behavior

Criticism

Influence

Alternatives

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This article explores how drive reduction theory works, criticisms of Hull’s theory, and a few alternative motivational theories that have been proposed.

Overview of Drive Reduction Theory

Hull was one of the first theorists to attempt to create a grand theory designed to explain all behavior. He started developing his theory shortly after he began working at Yale University, drawing on ideas from a number of other thinkers including Charles Darwin,Ivan Pavlov,John. B. Watson, andEdward L. Thorndike.

Hull based his theory on the concept ofhomeostasis, the idea that the body actively works to maintain a certain state of balance or equilibrium. For example, your body regulates its temperature in order to ensure that you don’t become too hot or too cold. Hull believed that behavior was one of the ways that an organism maintains this balance.

In order to reduce this state of tension, humans and animals seek out ways to fulfill these biological needs. We get a drink when we are thirsty. We eat when we are hungry. We turn up the thermostat when we are cold. He suggested that humans and animals will then repeat any behavior that reduces these drives.

According to Hull, the reduction of the drive acts as areinforcementfor that behavior.

This reinforcement increases the likelihood that the same behavior will occur again in the future when the same need arises. In order to survive in its environment, an organism must behave in ways that meet these survival needs.

“When survival is in jeopardy, the organism is in a state of need (when the biological requirements for survival are not being met) so the organism behaves in a fashion to reduce that need,” Hull explained.

Hull’s Drive Reduction Formula

Hull’s goal was to develop a theory of learning that could be expressed mathematically, to create a “formula” to explain and understand human behavior.

Mathematical Deductive Theory of Behavior

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

Criticism of Drive Reduction Theory

While Hull’s theory was popular during the middle part of the 20th century, it began to fall out of favor for a number of reasons. Starting as early as the 1950s, critics began pointing out the flaws in the drive reduction approach.

Lack of Generalizability

Because of his emphasis on quantifying his variables in such a narrowly defined way, his theory lacks generalizability.

However, his emphasis on rigorous experimental techniques andscientific methodsdid have an important influence on the field of psychology.

Does Not Address Secondary Reinforcers

One of the biggest problems with Hull’s drive reduction theory is that it does not account for howsecondary reinforcersreduce drives.

Unlike primary drives such as hunger and thirst, secondary reinforcers do nothing to directly reduce physiological and biological needs. Take money, for example. While money does allow you to purchase primary reinforcers, it does nothing in and of itself to reduce drives. Despite this, money still acts as a powerful source of reinforcement.

Does Not Fully Explain Behavior

Another major criticism of the drive reduction theory of learning is that it does not explain why people engage in behaviors that do not reduce drives. For example, people often eat when they’re not hungry or drink when they’re not thirsty.

In some cases, people actually participate in activities thatincreasetension such as sky-diving or bungee jumping. Why would people seek out activities that do nothing to fulfill biological needs and that actually place them in considerable danger? Drive reduction theory cannot account for such behaviors.

Overview of Youth At-Risk Behavior

Impact of Drive Reduction Theory

While Hull’s theory has largely fallen out of favor in psychology, it is still worthwhile to understand the effect it had on other psychologists of the time and how it helped contribute to later research in psychology.

In order to fully understand the theories that came after it, it’s important for students to grasp the basics of Hull’s theory.

For example, many of themotivational theoriesthat emerged during the 1950s and 1960s were either based on Hull’s original theory or were focused on providing alternatives to the drive reduction theory.

Alternatives to Drive Reduction Theory

Other theories of motivation that have been proposed include:

Other researchers have proposed a modern reformulation of Hull’s ideas that remedies some of the original theory’s failings.

Summary

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Stults-Kolehmainen MA.Humans have a basic physical and psychological need to move the body: Physical activity as a primary drive.Front Psychol. 2023;14:1134049. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134049Littman RA, Wade EA.A negative test of the drive-reduction hypothesis.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 1955;7(2):56-66. doi:10.1080/17470215508416675Keramati M, Gutkin B.Homeostatic reinforcement learning for integrating reward collection and physiological stability.Elife. 2014;3:e04811. doi:10.7554/eLife.04811American Psychological Association.Arousal theory.Ryan RM, Deci EL.Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions.Contemp Educ Psychol. 2020;61:101860. doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860Additional ReadingHull CL.The Conflicting Psychologies of Learning: A Way Out.Psychological Review. 1935;42:491-516.Schultz DP, Schultz SE. A History of Modern Psychology. 11th ed. Cengage Learning; 2016.

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Stults-Kolehmainen MA.Humans have a basic physical and psychological need to move the body: Physical activity as a primary drive.Front Psychol. 2023;14:1134049. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134049Littman RA, Wade EA.A negative test of the drive-reduction hypothesis.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 1955;7(2):56-66. doi:10.1080/17470215508416675Keramati M, Gutkin B.Homeostatic reinforcement learning for integrating reward collection and physiological stability.Elife. 2014;3:e04811. doi:10.7554/eLife.04811American Psychological Association.Arousal theory.Ryan RM, Deci EL.Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions.Contemp Educ Psychol. 2020;61:101860. doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860Additional ReadingHull CL.The Conflicting Psychologies of Learning: A Way Out.Psychological Review. 1935;42:491-516.Schultz DP, Schultz SE. A History of Modern Psychology. 11th ed. Cengage Learning; 2016.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Stults-Kolehmainen MA.Humans have a basic physical and psychological need to move the body: Physical activity as a primary drive.Front Psychol. 2023;14:1134049. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134049Littman RA, Wade EA.A negative test of the drive-reduction hypothesis.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 1955;7(2):56-66. doi:10.1080/17470215508416675Keramati M, Gutkin B.Homeostatic reinforcement learning for integrating reward collection and physiological stability.Elife. 2014;3:e04811. doi:10.7554/eLife.04811American Psychological Association.Arousal theory.Ryan RM, Deci EL.Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions.Contemp Educ Psychol. 2020;61:101860. doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860

Stults-Kolehmainen MA.Humans have a basic physical and psychological need to move the body: Physical activity as a primary drive.Front Psychol. 2023;14:1134049. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134049

Littman RA, Wade EA.A negative test of the drive-reduction hypothesis.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 1955;7(2):56-66. doi:10.1080/17470215508416675

Keramati M, Gutkin B.Homeostatic reinforcement learning for integrating reward collection and physiological stability.Elife. 2014;3:e04811. doi:10.7554/eLife.04811

American Psychological Association.Arousal theory.

Ryan RM, Deci EL.Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions.Contemp Educ Psychol. 2020;61:101860. doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860

Hull CL.The Conflicting Psychologies of Learning: A Way Out.Psychological Review. 1935;42:491-516.Schultz DP, Schultz SE. A History of Modern Psychology. 11th ed. Cengage Learning; 2016.

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