Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Assessment of Social Interaction Behaviors
Published on: February 25, 2011
Behavioral design of a positive verbal community: a preliminary experimental analysis
1Department of Psychology, University of Scranton, Pennsylvania 18510-2192.
Abstract:
Behaviorists have theorized (and experimental analyses suggest) the potential clinical application of verbal behavior modification. This study evaluated therapeutic effects of behavioral intervention to modify the intact verbal community. The setting was an adolescent operant treatment center for behavioral disorders. All residents within the center, 16 females and 22 males, participated in the study. A within subjects experimental design compared effects of a positive verbal community (PVC) plus the ongoing operant treatment program to the operant program alone. Conceptually, these were dual-level and single-level operant programs, respectively. Dependent measures included rates of positive goal-relevant verbalizations of residents, and clinical measures of self-control and psychiatric symptoms. Preliminary evidence supported the feasibility of the PVC as a potential novel therapeutic intervention.
Related Concept Videos
Social Proof
Social Facilitation
Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
Behavior Modification
A real-world application of operant conditioning principles is applied...
Social Psychology and Individual Behavior
Causes of Social Behavior I: Actions and Characteristics of Individuals

