Verbal Behavior

Front 1

Describe how generalized Reinforcement can distort tacts:

Back 1

When the verbal community cannot or does not maintain tight stimulus control, GRC may lead to tact distortion by differentially reinforcing forms of the tact response that are rewarding to the listener. Thus the tacting response's control shifts from control by a prior nonverbal stimulus (Sd control) to contingencies of reinforcement provided by the listener.

Front 2

Give an example of how generalized reinforcement can distort tacts:

Back 2

Fish story, Heroic story, and Fiction writing.

Front 3

Describe the scale of distortion:

Back 3

There is a scale of distortion. Some distortion results in the emission of a response which has received a special measure of reinforcement being emitted in the absence of the circumstances under which it is characteristically reinforced. The highest is when a response is emitted under the circumstances which normally control an incompatible response (a lie).

Front 4

5 ways that the verbal community can distort tacts:

Back 4

1. Generalized reinforcement

2. Non-generalized reinforcement from the operant behavior of the listener.

3. Non-generalized reinforcement from the emotional behavior of the listener.

4. Nongeneralized reinforcement from alterations in strength of listener's response

5. Automatic reinforcement from speaker.

Front 5

Describe how Non-generalized reinforcement from operant behavior of the listener can distort a tact:

Back 5

1. The tact control is distorted by its ability to elicit a behavior in the listener (impure tact). The tact comes under the control of the behavior of the listener.
2. Thus the form or frequency of the tact that is more likely to result in action from the listener will become more probable. The tact is shaped by the behavior of the listener.

Front 6

Describe how Non-generalized reinforcement from emotional behavior of the listener can distort a tact:

Back 6

1. The tact control is distorted by the emotional respondent behavior of the listener (Impure tact). The tact comes under the control of the emotional respondent behavior of the listener.
2. The form of the tact may illicit an emotional reaction from the listener. If this reaction is rewarding to the speaker, then the response frequency or form that produces the desired results will increase in probability.

Front 7

Impure tact vs Pure tact

Back 7

A Pure tact is completely under the control of generalized reinforcement, Sd control. The form is determined solely by the environment.

An impure tact is a tact that is under the control of multiple or other sources.

Front 8

In what two senses may a tact be true?

Back 8

Does the community reinforce it?
Is the tact purely under Sd control?

Front 9

List and describe the three types of special reinforcement from effects upon the speaker and how they distort tact control:

Back 9

1. Automatic reinforcement by imitation of manners of others - Speaker may reinforce self for standard forms and extinguish deviant behavior.
2. Automatic reinforcement by speaking about topics speaker finds reinforcing - Speaker may reinforce self for verbal behavior (topics) that is rewarding to the speaker.
3. Automatic negative reinforcement by rationalization - Speakers verbal behavior removes an aversive condition like guilt or anxiety.

Front 10

Distinguish between textual and nontextual responses of the reader:

Back 10

1. Textual responses are made under the control of visual stimuli, this is reacting to one’s own textual behavior as a listener.

2. Non-textual responses are responses in which the reader does not react to the textual behavior as a listener.

Example of non-textual responses is short-circuiting. This is seeing a textual stimulus and reacting to it like any other discriminative stimulus. This behavior is not verbal.

Front 11

Define Audience:

Back 11

Audience is a discriminative stimulus in the presences of which verbal behavior is characteristically reinforced (and therefore characteristically strong in its presences).

Front 12

What is the difference between the audience function and the listener function?

Back 12

Audience is an SD for reinforcement being available.

Listener provides consequences for verbal behavior.

Front 13

What is the role of the listener in the audience?

Back 13

Listener is part of the occasion upon which VB is reinforced and part of the occasion controlling the strength of the behavior.

Front 14

List the three aspects of behavior that audience determines:

Back 14

1. Determines frequency of the behavior - whether it will be emitted.
2. Determines subdivision of the language in which it occurs - jargon, dialect, etc.
3. Determines the type of responses made - subject matter.

Front 15

How is audience function established?

Back 15

1. The control that a listener has over the speaker behavior is a product of a long history in which his audience character has been established.
2. This establishes a history of reinforcement in the speaker in the presences of a set of characteristics in the listener and the environment.
3. Listener and environmental characteristics that are present when a verbal response is present gain control over the verbal behavior through stimulus induction. Thus listeners or environments with similar characteristics will gain control over the verbal behavior of the speaker.
4. The total environmental and listener characteristics that function as an Sd for the speaker as to when and what types of verbal behavior will be reinforced is the audience.

Front 16

What is a negative audience?

Back 16

A negative audience is a Sd for punishment or the occasion for punishment of VB frequency or form.

Front 17

How do places, verbal stimuli acquire an audience effect.

Back 17

When verbal behavior is reinforced or punished in a given place, the characteristics or the place itself might gain audience control. The characteristics are paired with the consequence supplied by the listener and through induction may gain control over the verbal behavior.

Front 18

Describe the functional independence of:
Verbal Operants (unsure still)

Back 18

Operants are functionally independent. The response does not have an inherit meaning and thus a tact would not transfer to a mand because the response form has not been reinforced in that context.

Front 19

Describe the functional independence of:
Writing and speaking (unsure still)

Back 19

May say something and write something different, because the two responses are controlled by different repertoires.

Front 20

Describe the functional independence of:
Speaker and listener repertoires (unsure still)

Back 20

Speaker repertoires are independent of the listener because the behaviors have different functions and are controlled by different variables.

Speaker is not necessarily a listener and a listener does not spontaneously become a speaker.

Front 21

Describe the functional independence of:
Responses in different languages (unsure still)

Back 21

i. Verbal community’s reinforcement of the response associated with the object being tacted or manded.
ii. Many such transitions may be outright translations made possible only through the prior acquisition of an intraverbal repertoire established explicitly for this purpose.
iii. Minimal repertoires suffice to bridge the gap between all sublanguages in the same phonetic or orthographic system
iv. Important cases are those in which no minimal repertoires are common to the two languages.

Front 22

Describe some variables that strength verbal behavior without respect to form:

Back 22

1. MO of Lack of listener attention.
2. Aversive stimulation-stalls in conversation, unpleasant topics
3. Stalling for time
4. Concealing other activities
5. Providing examples
6. Holding attention

Front 23

Describe how operant conditioning affects the rate of verbal behavior:

Back 23

1. Verbal behavior is affected by contingencies of reinforcement and punishment.
2. The availability of VB, response strength are dependent upon whether and when reinforcement is provided and motivating operations.
3. If reinforcement is abundant, or the behavior is affected by a given state of deprivation, or the schedule of reinforcement is appropriate then a person might emit copious amounts of verbal behavior and are likely to be labeled as talkative, energetic, or enthusiastic.
4. If reinforcement for VB is scarce, or the behavior is affected by a given state of satiation, or the schedule of reinforcement is inappropriate then VB will likely decrease and are likely to be labeled as dull, not talkative, or uninterested.

Front 24

What is extinction of a verbal response?

Back 24

Extinction is the result of the verbal community not reinforcing a response. Responses are extinguished, but they are not forgotten. These responses are just not emitted in the circumstances in which it was extinguished. May be emitted in another circumstance.

Front 25

What is "forgetting"?

Back 25

Forgetting is the passage of time without the opportunity to respond. Responses that are “forgotten” have not been emitted because the opportunity and control of an audience for this response has not been present.

Front 26

What behaviors are least likely to be forgotten?

Back 26

Echoic and textual behaviors are the least likely to be forgotten b/c we have echoed or read many other responses which have the same minimal repertoires during the time between reading it the first time and reading it the next time.

The controlling relation between a specific object and its common name is supported by all instances in which similar objects lead to any type of extended tact, and all these extensions are reinforced and are independently a part of the repertoire of the speaker.

Front 27

Why might proper noun/names (tacts) be forgotten?

Back 27

Forgetting proper names (tacts) may have something to do with the infrequency of reinforcement or by frequent interference from similar names or similar occasions having the same name.

Front 28

Describe why verbal responses deteriorate:

Back 28

1. The overall level of reinforcement for VB will affect the repertoire: A quite person vs. a talkative person, long delays lead to weak behavior, intermittent reinforcement or delays or gaps in reinforcement can sufficiently weaken verbal behavior (behaving with uncertainty).
2. Extinction: Decrease in VB resulting from a lack of reinforcement.
3. Forgetting: Deterioration of verbal responses as a result of time
4. Verbal behavior will depend on contingencies- Relaxed contingencies will result in deterioration. This is the law of least effort.

Front 29

What is the law of least effort? Provide an example.

Back 29

1. This is the law of least effort is a response assumes the form closest to the minimum which satisfies a contingency.
2. An example is using a shorter response such as cannot being shortened to can’t. Relaxed contingencies in which the verbal community reinforces a shortened response.

Front 30

What causes deterioration of verbal responses to stop?

Back 30

Deterioration of verbal behavior ends when the behavior is no longer reinforced.

Front 31

1.What are the four factors that lead to cessation of verbal behavior?
2.Give a example to each of the four factors that lead to cessation of verbal behavior:

Back 31

1. Changes in deprivation. - receiving an the object manded for, decreases manding behavior.
2. Only one instance reinforced - repetitions of the tact serve as Sdeltas for further reinforcement.
3. Audience characteristics - Audience may tact understanding, "I get it" or provides reward for a different set of verbal responses (like another language).
4. Effects on speaker-
Effects on speaker may cause speaker to stop, talking so loud it causes speaker discomfort. Listener reactions may be specific to speaker and upon emission may stop speaker behavior. (Turn right, and you turn right).

Front 32

What is Skinner's new definition of VB?

Back 32

Response of the listener in mediating the speakers behavior have been conditioned precisely in order to reinforce the behavior of the speaker.

Front 33

What is Skinner's old definition of VB?

Back 33

Verbal behavior is the behavior reinforced through the mediation of another person's behavior.

Front 34

What does Skinner's new definition of VB exclude?

Back 34

1. Instances in which the listener participates only as an object. - Pushing another person, surgery.
2. Instances in which the listener's responses are respondent behaviors. Emotional reactions to art.

Front 35

The two facts of multiple control:

Back 35

1. The strength of one response is usually a function of more than one variable.
2. A single variable affects more than one response and multiple variables may be additive.

Front 36

What are formal sources of strength?

Back 36

Responses that have point to point correspondence- involve echoic and textual responses. (Formal meaning form in this context)

AKA echoic or textual relation

Front 37

What are thematic sources of strength?

Back 37

Two responses are thematically related when they are controlled by a common variable with respect to which they lack the point to point correspondence seen in echoic or textual behavior.

AKA intraverbal relation

Front 38

What is the difference between main controlling variable and secondary sources of strength:

Back 38

Main source: the primary variable controlling the response, verbal or nonverbal stimuli occasioning a tact or intraverbal.

Secondary source: Second variable contributing to the form or theme response. Formal or thematic.

Front 39

Whats the difference between a good pun and a bad pun?

Back 39

Good - Secondary source of strength is relevant. King is not a good subject.

Bad - Secondary source of strength is irrelevant. Lets make like a tree and leave.