A Deeper Understandingof Verbal Behavior

Justin Daigle, MA, BCBA, LBAProgram Director

Overview Currently, you are familiar with the

concept of verbal behavior However, you have no way of

systematically assessing verbalizations There are also other Verbal Operants

that you have not be introduced to.

Presentation Goals Understand basic VB concepts Learn formal definitions for Mand, Tact,

Echoic, and Intraverbal Be introduced to Autoclitic, Dictation,

Transcription, and Textual Learn how to assess Verbal Operants

Notes It’s important to ask “dumb” questions in

this lecture. Don’t be afraid to ask me to

repeat or explain deeper. Don’t be afraid to

ask. No one is an expert on this, so your

questions may stump me.

Basic Concepts

History, Definitions, and Concepts

Skinner vs Chomsky

1969 – both published language books

“No black scorpion is falling upon this table”

Last of Skinner’s books

He wanted people to have a understanding

of behaviorism prior to this book

Skinner vs Chomsky

He knew it would be difficult to comprehend

He learned not to use words that were

already in use – thus his original words.

Vocal vs Verbal

Verbal behavior is not vocal behavior.

Language is not speech.

Keep the concepts separated in your head.

ex: ASL, gestures, written, texting, email, etc.

Defining “Verbal Behavior”

“Behavior mediated by another person”

Very broad definition

Anything else will limit something somewhere

I often say “functional language”

Speaker vs Listener

Remember that in the “real world”

contingencies can overlap. It is important to

keep focus when analyzing verbal behavior.

Examples tend to be speaker’s behaviors.

Speaker and Listener

“Hi, Jim how are you?” (Mand, not intraverbal)

“I’m good” (Intraverbal… and maybe tact)

Speaker and Listener

“Hi, Jim how are you?” (Mand, not intraverbal)

“I’m good” (Intraverbal… and maybe tact)

Stimuli Behavior Postcedent

MO for social interaction “…” “I’m good” (Sr+)

Speaker and Listener

“Hi, Jim how are you?” (Mand, not intraverbal)

“I’m good” (Intraverbal… and maybe tact)

Stimuli Behavior Postcedent

MO for social interaction “…” “I’m good” (Sr+)

Previous statement “…” No fight (Sr-)

Speaker and Listener

“Hi, Jim how are you?” (Mand, not intraverbal)

“I’m good” (Intraverbal… and maybe tact)

Stimuli Behavior Postcedent

MO for social interaction “…” “I’m good” (Sr+)

Previous statement “…” No fight (Sr-)

Overlapping Contingencies

Measuring Operants

Unlike in grammar, we measure by words. In

articulation, we measure by phonemes. In

poetry, we measure by meters. In verbal

behavior, we measure by functionality.

Measuring Operants

“Quickly, look a big, blue, flying bug!”Tact

Mand

Intraverbal

Autoclitic?

Page 534UMO/CMO Yes Mand

Non-Verbal SD

Yes Tact

Verbal SD Yes Point-to-Point Correspondence

No Intraverbal

Yes

No

No

Formal Similarity

No

Yes Echoic

TranscriptionTextual

UMO and CMO Unconditioned MO – A neutral event that functions as a

motivation operation. An example would be “being hungry” is an

unconditioned MO for food consumption. Conditioned MO – A neutral event that functions as a

motivation operation after it has been conditioned to do so.

An example would be “being poor” is a conditioned MO for

money.

Point-to-Point Correspondence

Point-to-Point Correspondence – When the

beginning, middle, and end of a verbal stimulus

matches the beginning, middle, and end of a

verbal response.

“C a t”

Speaker: “C a t”

Listener: “C a t”

Formal Similarity Formal Similarity – When a stimulus and a behavior

share

the same medium (such as written to written) as well as physical

resemblance.

Example:

Speaker: “Write the word ‘cat’”. (spoken)

Listener writes the word ‘cat’. (written)

The word changed formal similarity.

Relearning the Basics

Mand, Tact, Echoic & Intraverbal

Page 534UMO/CMO Yes Mand

Non-Verbal SD

Yes Tact

Verbal SD Yes Point-to-Point Correspondence

No Intraverbal

Yes

No

No

Formal Similarity

No

Yes Echoic

TranscriptionTextual

A Hint

The correct definitions of the verbal operants

will always begin with…

“A verbal operant that…”

Mand

Mand – A verbal operant that has a

UMO/CMO and specific reinforcement

Broken Down:

1) Only Verbal Operant with a MO

2) Has to have specific reinforcement

Question

If a child says “candy” and you give him

a candy, is it a mand?

Answer Before you might have said “yes”. Now you should hesitate. Did the child have an MO for the candy? Did the child eat the candy? What if the child handed the candy back

to you? Manding requires an MO!

Question A child has an MO for candy and says

“candy” and is praised for using his words.

Because you need more tasks in your

schedule of reinforcement, you ask the

child to perform three more task, then

Deliver candy. Was the child saying

“candy” a mand?

Answer No one knows… The immediate consequence of the word

was

NOT the specific reinforcer However, the specific reinforcer was

delivered at the end of the schedule

because it was manded for. Going back, what’s a better way?

Tact

Tact – A verbal operant that does not have a

UMO/CMO but has a non-verbal

discriminative stimulus. (This is a pure tact)

Broken Down:

1) No MO

2) Non-Verbal SD

Intraverbal Intraverbal – A verbal operant that does not have a

UMO/CMO, but does have a verbal discriminative stimulus

with no point-to-point correspondence.

Broken Down:

1) No MO

2) Verbal SD

3) No PTP Correspondence

A Note on Intraverbals

RFFC, EFFC, Fill-in-the-Blanks, etc are all

technically intraverbals.

Echoics Echoics – A verbal operant that does not have a

UMO/CMO,

but does have a verbal discriminative stimulus with

point-to-point correspondence and formal similarity

Broken Down:

1) No MO

2) Verbal SD

3) PTP Correspondence

4) Formal Similarity

Introduction to Higher Level Verbal Operants

Textual, Transcription, Dictation, and Autoclitics

Textual Textual – A verbal operant that does not have a

UMO/CMO, but does have a verbal discriminative

stimulus with point-to-point correspondence but does

not have formal similarity

Broken Down:

1) No MO 2) Verbal SD

3) PTP Correspondence 4) No Formal Similarity

Textual (What you need to know)

Textual – When the listeners writes down

what the speaker says

Keep in mind that this really doesn’t have to be

written down. Textual only requires a change

in formal similarity from the verbal SD.

A Note on Textual There are two types of textual

Dictation (Speaker’s Behavior) Transcription (Listener’s Behavior)

Autoclitic (Skinner’s version)

Autoclitic – Verbal Behavior about Verbal

Behavior.

- Anyone want to take a guess what that

means in the real world?

Autoclitic (Justin’s version)

Autoclitic – Words that modify other words

- Fillers (ex: “Um”, “Like”)

- Structure needed for grammar and/or

syntax (ex: “But”, “The”)

- Modifiers such as adjectives and adverbs

(ex: “Big”, “Blue”)

Questions

Use your flow chart to attempt the given

exercise (worth 30 minutes if you complete).

Pay close attention to 29-35

Summary

This stuff is complex and difficult for most

You still are required to know it The more you practice in situation – the

more clear it becomes.