A control theory of sequential response production

Summary Response bias as it occurs in sequential response production, especially in response randomization tasks, is an intriguing problem. The strength theory, which predicts that responses are produced because of their strength or availability in memory, can explain only a fraction of the phenomena of response bias. Two other theoretical approaches need special attention. The first is the concept hypothesis which suggests that response bias is the result of subjective randomness in producing a random sequence. The second is the control hypothesis which suggests that response bias is the result of attempts on the part of the subjects to control perseverations and stereotypes.Unfortunately, there is a lack of experimental evidence to support the concept hypothesis in randomization. The control hypothesis seems a better theory for explaining various instances of response bias. An additional theoretical advantage of the control hypothesis is that it can also explain response bias in areas of sequential response bias other than randomization.