Summary of Verbal Operants
The following table summarizes the new verbal operants in the analysis of verbal behavior.
| Precondition | Verbal Operant | Consequence | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motivating Operation | Mand | Directly Effective | A child comes into the kitchen where a mother is, and says: "I want milk". The mother opens the refrigerator and gives the child milk. |
| Feature of the physical environment | Tact | Social | A student looks out of the window, turns to his teacher and says: "It is hot today." The teacher says, "Right!" |
| Verbal behavior of another person | Intraverbal | Social | A mother asks her daughter: "What grade did you get in math?" The daughter replies, "An A." The mother says: "Very good!" |
| Verbal behavior of another person | Echoic | Social | A teacher says to a student: "Behavior in German is Verhalten." The student repeats "Behavior is Verhalten." The teacher says "Correct." |
| A person's own verbal behavior | Autoclitic | Directly effective | A child comes into his parents' bedroom at night and says "I think I am sick." The mother takes the child and brings him to a hospital. |
One must keep in mind, however, that almost all verbal behavior does not consist of these "pure" operants, but of a mixture of them.
Read more about this topic: Verbal Behavior
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