Parity is one source of automatic reinforcement that increases the probability of verbal behavior that conforms to models provided by the verbal community. Parity as a conditioned reinforcer could explain the acquisition of grammar in the absence of direct, explicit reinforcement. This possibility has been explored in previous research on…

Study supported in part by Research Grant MH-13703-01 from the National Institute of Mental Health.

To gain some insight into the problem of deviant speech development in low income populations, this study investigated the environmental factors that encourage the development of normal speech. Two specific questions were examined in this study: (1) If specific vocalized environmental sounds are presented contiguously with reinforcement, will…

This study attempted to test the notion that the reinforcing stimuli which maintain high rates of speech may not consist solely of events extrinsic to the person but may involve (sensory) stimulation generated by the behavior itself. (Author)

The present study demonstrated that complex "here-and-now" affective verbalizations, basic to most experiential or therapeutic groups, could be reliably induced in a group by simple reinforcement techniques. Further, reinforcement produced levels of performance equivalent to that induced by therapists. (Author)

Results clearly supported the hypothesis that adolescents who are typically nonverbal, and considered poor candidates for verbal-type psychotherapy, can be shaped into emitting a substantially higher rate of verbal initiations. (Author)

We tested the effects of an intensive tact instruction procedure on numbers of tacts emitted in non-instructional settings (NIS) using a multiple probe design across 3 participants (3- and 4-year old boys with autism). The dependent variable was tacts emitted in NIS before/after the mastery of sets of 5 different stimuli. The non-instructional…

We tested the effect of a Rotated Protocol Immersion package on the emergence of observing responses as prerequisites for more complex verbal developmental capabilities. Three elementary aged students between the ages of 6 and 7 participated. They were diagnosed with autism spectrum disabilities. The treatment condition consisted of total…

In Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior, three categories of environmental control over instances of verbal behavior appear to be relevant to the study of infant vocal development: the mand, the tact, and the echoic categories. Procedures used in the remediation of language deficiencies and procedures found in work in the area of language…

This paper deals with three areas concerning early vocal development: (1) review and critique of existing experimental evidence suggesting that early vocal behavior has the properties of an operant response, (2) speculations concerning the role of non-verbal vocal behavior in early psychological development, and (3) suggestions for future…

Language training for the non-verbal or language delayed child should utilize feedback to reinforce correct responses and should closely follow the syntactical development of normal children. The two basic areas of language training are receptive and expressive. Receptive language training includes attending and responding, following single phase…

FIVE STUDIES ARE REPORTED OF OPERANT CONDITIONING AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES IN READING. THE FIRST STUDY OUTLINED THE RATIONALE AND PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE PROJECT. THE SECOND STUDY INITIATED AND REFINED APPLICATIONS OF REINFORCEMENT PROCEDURES FOR STUDYING EFFECTS OF DISCRIMINATION TRAINING ON READING. STUDY NUMBER THREE DEMONSTRATED…

Speaker immersion is a tactic that uses multiple establishing operations to increase speaker behavior for individuals with limited mand and tact repertoires. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the effects of speaker immersion on the number of independent mands, tacts, and autoclitics emitted by young children with verbal delays. In the…