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ERIC Number: EJ1478114
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0889-9401
EISSN: EISSN-2196-8926
Available Date: 2025-06-27
Defining Verbal Behavior: Two Conflicting Approaches
Analysis of Verbal Behavior, v41 n1 p117-149 2025
In "Verbal Behavior," Skinner (1957) defined verbal behavior as "behavior reinforced through the mediation of other persons" (p. 2) in which the delivery of reinforcement has been "conditioned precisely in order to reinforce the behavior of the speaker" (p. 225). By contrast, as part of relational frame theory (RFT), S. C. Hayes and colleagues instead defined verbal behavior as "the action of framing events relationally" (Hayes, Fox, et al., 2001, p. 43). The central task of this article is to clarify and resolve or dismiss this definitional dispute. Specifically, I investigate the nature of this dispute by determining what kind of definition each offers. As a result, I conclude that Skinner's serves as a lexical definition--an assertion about the customary usage of the term verbal behavior (and its cognates). On the other hand, RFT's qualifies as a type of persuasive definition; namely, a hybrid possessing some features of both stipulative and lexical definitions. As such, I argue that the two definitions serve different goals and are, therefore, not in conflict. Given that juxtaposing these two disparate definitions constitutes an "apples and oranges" comparison, I conclude that this faux dispute requires no resolution. Instead, I propose its dismissal. Lastly, RFT's proponents raised three principal objections to Skinner's definition. The fact that the two definitions are not in conflict does not absolve Skinner's definitions of these objections. Therefore, after reviewing these three arguments, I offer counterarguments and conclude that Skinner's definition survives largely unscathed.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Waikoloa, USA