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The role of mediating verbal behavior in selection-based responding.
The Analysis of Verbal Behavior
|April 6, 2012
Summary
This study found that highly verbal participants use specific vocal statements during selection-based (SB) tasks. These statements may mediate SB conditional discriminations and explain differences in SB and topography-based (TB) verbal behavior research.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Linguistics
Background:
- Michael (1985) differentiated selection-based (SB) and topography-based (TB) verbal behavior.
- Prior research indicated differences in SB and TB for nonverbal, but not highly verbal, participants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the verbal behavior of highly verbal participants during an SB task.
- To determine if topography-based (TB) vocalizations mediate selection-based (SB) conditional discriminations in verbal individuals.
Main Methods:
- Highly verbal participants (college students) performed an SB task.
- Participants engaged in "talking aloud" protocol analysis (Ericsson & Simon, 1993).
- Transcripts were analyzed using Skinner's (1957) elementary verbal operants.
Main Results:
- Consistent statement types preceded correct selections in the SB task.
- Evidence suggests topography-based (TB) vocal responding mediates SB conditional discriminations in verbal participants.
- These findings help explain discrepancies in SB and TB research.
Conclusions:
- Topography-based (TB) vocalizations appear to play a mediating role in selection-based (SB) tasks for highly verbal individuals.
- This research clarifies the relationship between different types of verbal behavior in complex cognitive tasks.
- The study supports the integration of Skinner's verbal operants framework with conditional discrimination research.
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