Separating discriminative and function-altering effects of verbal stimuli.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Verbal Behavior Analysis

Background:

• Rules have traditionally been conceptualized as verbal discriminative stimuli in behavior analysis.
• This perspective may limit understanding of how some verbal stimuli influence behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To differentiate between discriminative and function-altering effects of verbal stimuli.
• To encourage a more nuanced understanding of verbal stimulus control.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of experimental results, particularly those involving child participants.
• Conceptual distinction between stimulus control types.

Main Results:

• Some verbal stimuli function not by evoking behavior directly, but by altering the functions of other stimuli.
• This function-altering effect is analogous to conditioning processes.

Conclusions:

• Separating discriminative and function-altering effects of verbal stimuli is crucial for advancing behavior analysis.
• This distinction may reveal unique properties of verbal stimuli and their control over behavior.