Structural and functional approach to verbal behavior; on the role of reinforcement
Presentør
Hanne Augland |
Abstract
Ever since Skinners publication of “Verbal Behavior”, it has been discussed whether verbal behavior can be considered as operant behavior. Chomsky´s article, published two years later has led to a massive misunderstanding. One of Chomsky’s objections to the behavioral approach is that it cannot explain how sentences that have not previously been reinforced can occur. This misunderstanding seems to have been adopted by the majority of psychological disciplines, and you can often hear that training based on the verbal behavior account leads to tight stimulus control and rigid language. Therefore, the main focus of the presentation will be on the occurrence of seemingly non-reinforced events. There will also be given examples of how seemingly non-reinforced verbal behavior can occur.