Verbal behavior: correspondence, rule-governed and contingency-shaped behavior, and discrimination theory

Notes

• Baseline Assessment of Operant Behavior: For the first five days of baseline, the authors assessed operant levels of rate and content of speech among the groups by observing their verbal responses. The snack was given noncontingently, regardless of whether they verbalized or not. • Reasons for Different Results Between Group A and Group B in Experiment 1: The authors attributed the difference in responding to a difference in response effort. However, it is likely that there are inter-subject differences between the groups that also contributed to the varied outcomes. • Reinforcement of Correspondence Condition: The reinforcement was contingent upon the correspondence between what the participants said and what they did. In other words, reinforcement was provided only when their verbal responses matched their actions. • Results of the Three Experiments: In each of the three experiments, the results showed that for there to be correspondence between saying and doing, contingencies had to be directly placed on those responses matching. This means that reinforcement for matching responses was essential for establishing correspondence. • Operant Class: An operant class is a class of b...