There are many definitions of the concept of Coping and they are all variations to some extent over the following two definitions:
* A stressor causes a physiological reaction A. If the individual, by engaging in a certain behaviour, can provoke the physiological response B, and B is "less" than A, then the individual has coped.
* Coping is an individual reaction towards a stressor by which a dangerous physiological effect is reduced.
This "Coping hypothesis" states that stereotypies is a coping strategy, and as such reduces aversible stimuli's effect by altering the perception of these stimuli by the individual. Early on there were a series of experiments which partly gave rise to this hypothesis, partly seemed to support it:
* Tongue-rolling calves had fewer ulcers.
* Pigs, injected with an opioid receptor antagonist (Naloxone) reduced their amounts of stereotypies within half an hour ("Coping by doping").
* Stereotyping bank voles showed reduced preferences towards more enriched cages.
* SIP* behaviour as seem among rats seemed to reduce the activity of the HPA-axis.
*Schedule Induced Polydipsia (SIP) can be induced among several species, and particularly easy using rats. Rats subjected to a feeding regime where they e.g. receive a food pellet after a fixed time (e.g. every 5 minutes) are usually in the intermediate time very adept in emptying a bottle of water. They are capable of drinking the entire daily ration in an hour. This type of behaviour (SIP) can be named "Adjunctive behaviour" and is a form of Autoshaping.
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The problems with the Coping hypothesis were mainly that many subsequent experiments did not lend it support, or sometimes were in direct conflict. The already achieved results could not be repeated and could all be explained in an alternative way. As an example on one of these conflicting experiments, it was shown that tongue-rolling calves both showed reduced growth and increased number of lesions in their lungs.
Today, the Coping hypothesis does not have many supporters. This hypothesis might explain certain types of stereotypies among certain species maintained under certain conditions.
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Summing up sofar: The already mentioned hypotheses (different species show different timing of stereotypies do so based on genetic differences; stereotypies function as reinforcers; is caused by boredom; has the purpose of up-/down regulate (or both) Arousal and finally this Coping-hypothesis) have all had their starting point in aversible conditions on the Environmental level, explaining the purpose of stereotypies as a mechanism which, imposing changes on the Physiological level, should be beneficial for the individual.
However, another possibility exists for experimenting with stereotypies, these experiments being to induce changes at the physiological level and then observe the relevance of such changes for the performance of stereotypic behaviour.