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In 1938, Skinner published The Behavior Of Organisms:
The Behavior of Organisms. New York: Appleton-Centuty-Crofts, 1938
This book describes “operant conditioning”. In very simplified laymens terms Verbal Behavior is a descriptive analysis of how we learn, based upon the consequences of our actions.
Skinner discussed how antecedent stimuli, when correlated with the function altering effects of consequences, also alter future occurrences of that behavior. This A-B-Cmrelationship is what is today referred to as a discrete trial or a learn unit in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
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In 1957 Skinner published Verbal Behavior :
Skinner, B. F. (1957). Verbal Behavior. Acton, MA: Copley Publishing Group
This book was a detailed a functional analysis of verbal behavior. Verbal Behavior is a description and application of the “operant conditioning” principles to verbal behavior. His 1957 analysis of verbal behavior looked at the functions of language over its forms, and described numerous verbal operants, or units of language.
Skinner explained that language could be analyzed into a set of functional units, with each type of operant serving a different function. He coined terms such as (mand, tact, autoclitics, etc) in order to differentate between verbal behavior and traditional linguistic terminology. The emphasis is on “function” of language and motivating variables as opposed to “form” of language.
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For empirical research on Verbal Behavior see:
The Analysis of Verbal Behavior journal (The Analysis of Verbal Behavior (ISSN 0889-9401)
is published annually by the Association for Behavior Analysis International and is primarily for the original publication of experimental or theoretical papers relevant to a behavioral analysis of verbal behavior.
This body of research serves as the basic and applied foundation of teaching VB as part of an ABA program. Please note that AVB is NOT a separate entity from ABA. Most ABA programs incorporate VB as part of their programming based upon Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior. AVB is NOT a separate science. It is merely the application of Skinner’s analysis in the teaching of language.
Thus, Verbal Behavior (VB) is a program of applied behavior analysis that focuses on teaching verbal behavior through a collection of highly effective teaching procedures derived from the science of behavior analysis.
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Additional links with resources on Verbal Behavior:
Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland at
Baltimore County, Trustee of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies,
and former editor of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, many
research articles and books, including his Learning text now in its fourth edition.
VB-SIG is part of the Asociation for Behavior Analysis dedicated to the study of
"language" from a behavior analytic point of view.
Power Point Presentation
(Mariposa school)
Recommended New Text on Verbal Behavior:
by R. Douglas Greer (Author), Denise E. Ross (Author)
(1904 - 1990)
