A Mediational Theory of Verbal Relations

We previously discussed the effects of verbal stimuli, often called "rules" or "instructions," in terms of their function-altering effects (Blakely & Schlinger The Behavior Analyst, 10, 183-187, 1987; Schlinger & Blakely  The Behavior Analyst, 10, 41-45, 1987). In the current article, we present a mechanism of action for these effects that involves mediating behaviors and only appeals to basic principles of behavior. A mediational theory holds that the key elements of responding effectively to verbal stimuli rely on behavior that occurs at the moment, or just after, a verbal stimulus occurs. Such behavior includes echoic behavior, as well as tacts and intraverbals, and even visual or auditory imagining. These behaviors are automatically reinforced, and in some cases reinforced by the speaker. The reinforcement of these behaviors produces new relations and stimulus functions. In research and clinical practice, these new relations and stimulus functions are said to "emerge" or be "derived" without direct training. According to a mediational theory, however, the relations are directly trained, although the training is not explicit. Thus, in a sense, listeners learn to react to what they see and hear, and as a result, can effectively behave to the events indicated by the verbal stimulus. A mediational theory of verbal relations not only explains verbal relations parsimoniously but has predictive utility.