Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

What is Behavior?

What is Behavior?

Behaviors are actions that an organism engages in—they can be related to finding food, reproducing, defending against threats, and many other possible actions. Behaviors include activities related to the environment around the animal—such as migration—as well as social interactions within a species or population. Many behaviors involve motor output—that is, muscle movements—while others involve less visible actions, such as learning.

Causes of Social Behavior I: Actions and Characteristics of Individuals

Causes of Social Behavior I: Actions and Characteristics of Individuals

The actions and characteristics of others heavily influence the causes of social behaviors. Emotional expressions serve as powerful social signals, shaping behaviors and interactions in significant ways. Whether through direct observation or subconscious processing, individuals constantly adjust their responses based on the emotions and attributes of those around them.Emotional Cues and Social ResponsesFacial expressions, tone of voice, and body language provide crucial emotional cues that...

Behavior Modification

Behavior Modification

Behavioral approaches have often been criticized for ignoring mental processes and focusing solely on observable behavior. However, these approaches provide an optimistic perspective for individuals seeking to change their behaviors. Rather than concentrating on intrinsic personality traits, behavioral approaches suggest that even longstanding habits can be modified by changing the reward contingencies that maintain them.
A real-world application of operant conditioning principles is applied...

Self-Regulation

Self-Regulation

Self-regulation, also known as self-control, encompasses a range of cognitive and behavioral processes that allow individuals to adjust their internal states and outward actions to align with socially acceptable norms and long-term goals. It plays a fundamental role in adaptive functioning, from resisting impulsive behaviors to persisting through challenging tasks. While its benefits are widely recognized, self-regulation is not limitless. Muraven and Baumeister's theory posits that...

Deindividuation

Deindividuation

Deindividuation is a form of social influence on an individual’s behavior such that the individual engages in unusual or non-normal behavior while in a group setting. Why? Because in these group settings, the individual no longer sees themselves as an individual anymore, disinhibiting their behavior and personal restraint.

Behaviorism

Behaviorism

The field of behaviorism was pioneered by figures such as Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner fundamentally shifted the focus of psychology to the observable and controllable aspects of human and animal behavior. This shift marked a critical evolution in the discipline, emphasizing scientific rigor and experimental methodology.
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The Importance of Form in Skinner's Analysis of Verbal Behavior and a Further Step.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2013

Same author

Intraverbal behavior: The codic, duplic and sequelic subtypes.

VB news·2012

Same author

Verbal behavior: Implications of its mediational and relational characteristics.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2012

Same author

Promoting the behaviorological analysis of verbal behavior.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2012

Same author

"Separate disciplines" is another name for survival.

The Behavior analyst·2012

Same author

A new term and some old advice.

The Behavior analyst·2012

Same journal

Comparing Human Video Modeling to Animated Video Modeling for Learners with Autism.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2025

Same journal

Using Concealed Public Accompaniments to Teach Individuals to Tact Intensity.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2025

Same journal

Acquisition of Incidental Bidirectional Naming: Isolating the Effects of Probing and Mixed-Operant Instruction.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2025

Same journal

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Stimulus-Stimulus Pairings to Increase Vocalizations in Children with Language Delays: 2015-2024.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2025

Same journal

Context and Meaning in Acts of Translation and Interpretation.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2025

Same journal

A Preliminary Investigation into Teaching Adolescents with Autism to Use Apps to Solve Problems.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2025

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE

Published on: May 14, 2019

Event-governed and verbally-governed behavior.

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior

|April 6, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study clarifies that "rules" describe language usage, not verbal behavior control. True verbal behavior involves mediation by another organism, distinct from direct environmental interaction.

More Related Videos

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress

Published on: July 4, 2013

The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior

The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior

Published on: January 19, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 23, 2026

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE

Published on: May 14, 2019

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress

Published on: July 4, 2013

The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior

The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior

Published on: January 19, 2019

Area of Science:

Behavioral Psychology
Linguistics
Philosophy of Language

Background:

The term "rules" is often used to describe behavior-guiding statements like proverbs and instructions.
Existing definitions conflate language categories with verbal behavior analysis.
A clear distinction is needed between behavior directly controlled by environmental events and behavior controlled verbally.

Purpose of the Study:

To differentiate between behavior controlled by environmental events and behavior controlled verbally.
To clarify the definition of verbal behavior within the context of behavioral analysis.
To address the confounding of language categories with behavioral control mechanisms.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis of behavioral control and verbal behavior.
Distinguishing between direct environmental contact with events and mediated contact through another organism's behavior.
Examining the functional controls underlying different classes of behavior.

Main Results:

"Rules" represent a category of language usage, not a direct analysis of behavioral control.
Verbal behavior is defined as a behavior-behavior relation mediated by another organism's trained behavior.
Behavior controlled verbally is distinct from behavior directly controlled by environmental stimuli.
The underlying functional controls for both types of behavior are fundamentally similar.

Conclusions:

The term "rule-governed" behavior is imprecise for analyzing verbal behavior.
Verbal behavior analysis requires understanding the mediating role of the verbal community.
Distinguishing between direct and verbal control enhances the precision of behavioral analysis.