Analysis Of Verbal Behavior Research Articles

Functional Analysis and Treatment of Repetitive Verbal Behavior in Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Functional Analysis and Treatment of Repetitive Verbal Behavior in Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

STUDY OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION OF CONFERENCE INTERPRETERS’ LINGUISTIC PERSONALITY

The article is devoted to the relevance and significance of nonverbal communication in a comprehensive approach to the study of the linguistic personality of a conference interpreter. The author explains the use of the communicative-functional approach to the analysis of verbal and nonverbal behaviour of the interpreter’s linguistic personality. The hypothesis of the study brings out that the nonverbal behaviour of the interpreter’s linguistic personality is determined by the content of the translated utterance, the interpreter’s internal motivation and intention (the pragmatic level of the linguistic personality), and it is consistently proved that nonverbal means shall be considered as part of the structural model of the linguistic personality, influencing the verbal representation of the linguistic personality. The author analyses a nonverbal sign (at its beginning, middle and end of its expression) and a translation syntagm as minimal units of study. The units of the study were collected by solid sampling from 14 video recordings of interpretation series, total study includes 105 minutes with records of nonverbal signs used by linguistic personality the interpreters participated in the study. As a result, the author classified nonverbal signs into vegetatives and somatives, and she structurally described the content of the groups of kinesic somatives, oculesic somatives and prosodic somatives, presenting the semantic content of nonverbal signs; within kinesic somatives, the author described a subgroup of comfort-gestures. The paper concludes about the prospect of further study of nonverbal communication and its importance for the study of linguistic personality in general.

Analyzing the Functional Interdependence of Verbal Behavior with Multiaxial Radar Charts

The functional analysis of complex verbal behavior requires an evaluation of topographically similar responses under multiple sources of control. Traditional graphical displays of behavior were designed to show the manipulation of isolated controlling variables and may not be amenable to displaying the multidimensional properties of complex behavior. Researchers have recently demonstrated the use of multiaxial radar charts for comparing the functional performance of biological systems. Here we extend the use of multidimensional analyses to compare the relative performance distributions of verbal behavior across four potential controlling variables. First, we provide a conceptual analysis of intraverbal and extraverbal control as continua along which stimuli range from formal to thematic and explain how the intersection of these stimulus fields creates a radar chart for multidimensional analysis. Then we demonstrate how data may be gathered through a verbal operant experimental analysis. We employed repeated measures to map the conditioning history of a child with autism spectrum disorder across 2 years of early intensive behavioral intervention and analyzed the results using shape descriptors for quantitative comparisons. We also compared the polygonal language profiles of children with autism against that of a neurotypical peer. Extending a multidimensional analysis to the field of verbal behavior provides the basis for a language growth chart that researchers and clinicians can use to monitor language acquisition over time. We discuss the use of radar charts as a framework for understanding the interdependence of verbal operants and suggest their use for complex analyses of complex verbal behavior.

Integrating Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and Verbal Behavior (VB) in Early Intervention

AbstractApplying relational frame theory (RFT) to language intervention programs allows behavior analysts to maintain a focus on programming for generative language by providing systematic multiple exemplar training to establish repertoires of derived relational responding. Applying Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior provides for a focus on identifying sources of control for discriminated responding, and effective means of teaching early verbal operants. Both emphasize the centrality of repertoires of cooperation in language development, and an expansive understanding of contextual control. Our work emphasizes the utility of integrating these two approaches, and this article outlines the relevant theoretical background and empirical basis for assessment and teaching programs, discusses points of intersection of the two approaches, provides examples of application, and prompts future research efforts.

The Analysis of Whose Verbal Behavior?

Recent reviews of behavior analytic journals suggest that participant demographics are inadequately described. These reviews have been limited to brief periods across several journals, emphasized specific variables (e.g., socioeconomic status), or only included specific populations. The current scoping review included all published articles in The Analysis of Verbal Behavior from 1982-2020. Six demographic variables were coded for 1888 participants across 226 articles. Despite small sample sizes (i.e., fewer than six participants in 62.3% of studies), only age (85.4%) and gender identity (71.6%) were reported for the majority of participants. Socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and primary language were reported for fewer than 20% of participants. Over time, the number of demographic variables reported showed a slight increasing trend, although considerable variability was observed across years. These findings suggest that editors and reviewers must consider what constitutes acceptable participant characterization. Researchers might also be emboldened to extend their work to populations currently underrepresented in the journal.

Research on the Design and Optimization of Multimedia Interactive Teaching Content in Civic and Political Education in Colleges and Universities

Abstract The reform and innovation of ideological education in colleges and universities is an important mission of every college and university, and the design and optimization of the interactive teaching content of ideological education in colleges and universities through combining with multimedia can well enhance the overall quality of the work of ideological education in colleges and universities. The purpose of this paper is to propose a synchronous classroom teaching environment that uses video interaction. The data is analyzed and recorded using the FISA system. Through the experiment, it is concluded that in the comparative analysis of teacher-student verbal interaction behavior, the performance of 2 teachers (B1 and B2) in the classroom teacher-student interaction structure is compared and analyzed, in which the ratio of teacher’s verbal behavior of B1 is 54.78%, and the ratio of teacher’s verbal of B2 is 68.55%, which is concluded that the teacher of B2 empowers the students to speak more so that the students can be better involved in Civic and Political Science classroom.

Procedural Fidelity Reporting in The Analysis of Verbal Behavior from 2007-2021.

Procedural fidelity refers to the degree to which procedures for an assessment or intervention (i.e., independent variables) are implemented consistent with the prescribed protocols. Procedural fidelity is an important factor in demonstrating the internal validity of an experiment and clinical treatments. Previous reviews evaluating the inclusion of procedural fidelity in published empirical articles demonstrated underreporting of procedural fidelity procedures and measures within specific journals. We conducted a systematic review of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior (TAVB) to evaluate the trends in procedural fidelity reporting from 2007 to 2021. Of the 253 articles published in TAVB during the reporting period, 144 of the articles (168 studies) met inclusionary criteria for further analysis. Our results showed that 54% of studies reported procedural fidelity data, which is slightly higher than previous reviews. In comparison, interobserver-agreement data were reported for a high percentage of studies reviewed (i.e., 93%). Further discussion of results and applied research implications are included.

Assessing the Verbal Behavior of a Linguistically Diverse Speaker with Autism

AbstractFor speakers belonging to multiple verbal communities, functional analyses of verbal behavior allow for dynamic control over response topography. The simple practice of allowing the speaker the freedom to select the language of instruction minimizes cultural bias and hegemony. We extended the research on functional analyses of verbal behavior to include a speaker of multiple languages in a quasi-experimental case study. We employed verbal operant experimental (VOX) analyses as a repeated measure of language acquisition with a linguistically diverse, 7-year-old Indian boy with autism. The VOX analyses were conducted as part of the child’s early intensive behavioral intervention, and we observed the impact of an immersive foreign language experience on his verbal repertoire with follow-up VOX analyses conducted in three topographically distinct languages: English, Telugu, and Tamil. The results show a dynamic hierarchy of strength between the three languages, with overarching patterns across the three assessments. The implications for using VOX analyses to assess the functional language skills of multilingual speakers with autism are discussed, and areas of future research are highlighted.

A scoping review of empirical research on emergent intraverbal behavior

AbstractFor decades, Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior has been applied in a variety of contexts. One critically important topic in this area is the extent to which some verbal operants may be learned indirectly, as a result of learning other verbal operants. This phenomenon is often referred to as emergent verbal behavior, and is critical to our understanding of how language is learned in a generative fashion across the lifespan. Emergent intraverbal repertoires are especially important because responses under some degree of intraverbal control may constitute a majority of responses in a fully formed verbal repertoire. Recent literature reviews suggest that there are many published studies on emergent intraverbals, but that this body of literature is highly heterogeneous. To provide an overview of this literature and map out the various tactics used across studies, we conducted a scoping review. We identified 99 total experiments on emergent intraverbals contained in 79 total articles. Findings are summarized in terms of populations and independent variables studied, procedural variations, and recommendations for future research.

Verbal Behavior Analysis of Teaching Story Recall to Children with Autism: A Replication and Extension.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40616-023-00183-2.

Verbal behavior development theory and relational frame theory: Reflecting on similarities and differences.

Relational frame theory and verbal behavior development theory are two behavior-analytic perspectives on human language and cognition. Despite sharing reliance on Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior, relational frame theory and verbal behavior development theory have largely been developed independently, with initial applications in clinical psychology and education/development, respectively. The overarching goal of the current paper is to provide an overview of both theories and explore points of contact that have been highlighted by conceptual developments in both fields. Verbal behavior development theory research has identified how behavioral developmental cusps make it possible for children to learn language incidentally. Recent developments in relational frame theory have outlined the dynamic variables involved across the levels and dimensions of arbitrarily applicable relational responding, and we argue for the concept of mutually entailed orienting as an act of human cooperation that drives arbitrarily applicable relational responding. Together these theories address early language development and children's incidental learning of names. We present broad similarities between the two approaches in the types of functional analyses they generate and discuss areas for future research.

Intraverbal Assessment for Persons with Aphasia or Other Acquired Brain Injury.

An intraverbal assessment was administered to older adults with aphasia, using a hierarchy of questions that required increasingly complex verbal discriminative stimulus control. Five categories of errors were defined and analyzed for putative stimulus control, with the aim to identify requisite assessment components leading to more efficient and effective treatments. Evocative control over intraverbal error responses was evident throughout the database, as shown by commonalities within four distinct categories of errors; a fifth category, representing a narrow majority of errors, was less clear in terms of functional control over responses. Generally, questions requiring increasingly complex intraverbal stimulus control resulted in weaker verbal performance for those with aphasia. A new 9-point intraverbal assessment model is proposed, based on Skinner's functional analysis of verbal behavior. The study underscores that loss or disruption of a formerly sophisticated language repertoire presents differently than the fledgling language skills and errors of new learners, such as typically developing children and those with autism or developmental disabilities. Thus, we would do well to consider that rehabilitation may require a different approach to intervention than habilitation. We offer several thematic topics for future research in this area.

From direct contingencies to derived relations: the ever-developing nature of theory and practice in behavior analysis.

To illustrate the processes of development within the behavioral theory and the corresponding expansion of the areas in which it is applied, especially the advancement (conceptual developments) of the functional analysis of language inspired by Relational Frame Theory (RFT) research. Classical and operant conditioning are well-established behavioral learning processes, discovered and described at the beginning of the twentieth century. They provide the tools for analyzing, establishing and modifying the functions of stimuli and responses of the organisms through manipulation of the environment. Although B. F. Skinner provided grounds for the functional analysis of complex behaviors such as language, it was not until the beginning of the twenty-first century that RFT was introduced. From this moment behavior analysts could use behavioral principles to explain how stimulus functions may change without direct learning. The practical application of the growing knowledge about Arbitrarily Applicable Relational Responding (AARR), a basic generalized operant described within RFT, allows us to analyze, explain and change behaviors that had hitherto been beyond the scope of behavioral therapy. The continued growth and development of behavior theory and practice holds the promise for an expansion of its application to new areas and populations in need. One such development is the functional analysis of verbal behavior e.g., relational frames, ROE (relating-orienting-evoking). It seems useful to add advancements proposed by RFT to the behavioral toolbox with which we could effectively describe, explain and change behavior with precision, scope and depth.

Veterinary communication can influence farmer Change Talk and can be modified following brief Motivational Interviewing training.

Current veterinary communication skills training often focuses on the strategies necessary to successfully transfer information and promote shared decision making rather than inspiring client motivation to engage in behaviour change(s). One evidence-based communication methodology with a specific focus on enhancing conversations about change is Motivational Interviewing (MI), which is perceived by veterinarians to be highly relevant to their profession. We examined whether veterinarians who experienced brief (4–5 hours) MI training (BMIT) were able to change their communication behaviours to be more MI consistent. Fourteen veterinarians recorded 31 veterinary herd health consultations before (n = 15) and after (n = 16) BMIT to allow pre-post intervention analysis of veterinarian and farmer verbal behaviour. Additionally, using a sequential linguistic analysis of 3885 veterinarian-farmer communication events within these consultations, the influence of veterinarians’ verbal behaviours on farmers’ response language was explored. Analysis of veterinary consultations undertaken before and after BMIT revealed that veterinarians changed their communication style to be more consistent with the MI methodology, including more use of reflection statements, a more empathic and partnership-oriented consultation style and greater emphasis on clients’ own language in favour of change goals. In response, farmers contributed more to the conversation and discussed more herd health-related changes. Sequential linguistic analysis suggested that following a veterinarian emphasising something positive about the farmer (e.g. efforts, strengths), seeking collaboration or emphasising farmer choice, farmers were subsequently more likely to express arguments in favour of change (‘Change Talk’), especially phrases indicative of commitment. This study offers the first evidence of the potential value of a BMIT experience to enhance veterinary communication skills, although conscious and disciplined use of MI principles, strategies and Spirit–an ethos of compassion, acceptance, partnership and evocation—requires longer and more complex training. Further studies examining the longevity and consistency of these verbal behaviour changes following BMIT are required.

A Review of Second Language Acquisition in Verbal Behavior Analysis

A Review of Second Language Acquisition in Verbal Behavior Analysis

언어행동분석 관련 단일대상연구 동향 분석

The purpose of this study is to analyze the trend of single subject research related to verbal behavior analysis. For this purpose, 636 research papers were searched, and 30 papers related to verbal behavior analysis based on Skinner's Verbal Behavior were selected as analysis target papers according to the PRISMA procedure. Analysis target papers were analyzed by publication year, journal name, research participants, dependent and independent variables, research environment, and experimental design. As a result of analyzing the studies related to verbal behavior analysis, studies related to verbal behavior analysis were continuously published, and the dependent variables were verbal operant behaviors such as mand and tact, and higher verbal operant behaviors such as naming, and the independent variable was tact. Most of the research environment of the thesis analyzed in this study was a treatment room, and autism spectrum disorder was the most common type of disability among research participants. According to the results of this study, it was suggested that the study of verbal behavior analysis in Korea is at a relatively early stage, and the limitations of the study and future research are suggested.

Differential Crel and Cfunc acquisition through stimulus pairing

Some learning psychologists refer to relational cues (Crels) and functional cues (Cfuncs) in their analyses of verbal behavior. However, past research about Crels and Cfuncs is limited in two ways. First, there has been relatively little research into how Crels and Cfunc functions can be acquired, and whether such acquisition is similar to the acquisition of other stimulus functions (e.g., SDs). Secondly, research into Crel and Cfunc functions has typically investigated each separately (i.e., either examining Crels or Cfuncs), although a better approximate to real-life learning would examine their simultaneous acquisition. We report studies that examined whether Crels and Cfuncs can be learned simultaneously using a common learning procedure (i.e., stimulus pairing). Experiment 1 examined the transfer of Crel functions for sameness and difference relations and the transfer of Cfunc functions for color and shape to novel stimuli. Experiment 2 examined the transfer of comparative Crel functions (bigger and smaller) and Cfunc functions for value and size. In Experiment 2 we also investigated whether the newly learned functions of the novel stimuli would influence responding to stimuli that were not presented in the learning phase. Our results suggest that Crels and Cfuncs can indeed be acquired via stimulus pairing and can affect also responding to stimuli not used during acquisition.

Verbal Behavior Analysis of Expert and Inexperienced Therapists Applying the Socratic Method.

The Socratic method, as an eminently verbal procedure, will be analyzed from a behavioral perspective in order to clarify how verbal conditioning works within. This work compares the verbalizations that expert and inexperienced therapists emit during Socratic method to find out which and why certain therapist verbalizations are most successful in changing client responses. The sample consisted of 113 Socratic method fragments from 18 cases, analyzed by observational methodology. The expert therapists had more than 6 years of experience, the inexperienced less than 2. Experts had fewer failure Socratic method fragments, but there were no differences in successful ones. The way of questioning had a different pattern: Inexperienced therapists suggested more the response, experts used more didactic verbalizations; also, experts used the aversive component more and contingently. The creation of guidelines based on functional description of verbal interaction and the need for novice psychologists training are some implications of these results.

Using joint control to teach activities of daily living and vocational tasks to students with autism

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of a self‐rehearsal procedure to teach five individuals with autism to follow multiple‐step selection of stimuli. Within a multiple probe design across participants, participants were taught to echo the experimenter's instruction, self‐echo, and then select multiple pictorial stimuli in order from an array of directly trained and untrained sets of stimuli. Self‐rehearsal and selection related to activities of daily living in the natural environment required direct training. Probes of novel multiple‐step tasks were conducted. Implications for the role of joint control in developing skills sequences to teach generative responding, conceptual analyses of covert verbal behavior, and designing instructional goals related to transition from formal education settings are discussed.

Jack Michael's Contributions to the Treatment of Autism.

Jack Michael dedicated his life to teaching behavior analysis. He was passionate about Skinner's works and his enthusiasm was contagious. Jack'sprimary goal for his students was that they be able to analyze behavior like Skinner analyzed behavior, but with a little bit of Jack Michael sprinkled in here and there. Jack is probably best known to behavior analysts for his conceptual contributions to our field (e.g., his work on motivation), but his contributions to the treatment of autism are perhaps his most socially significant achievement. In our tribute to Jack, we will describe how he advanced the treatment of autism not only through his conceptual work and his teaching, but through his role in the development of applied behavior analysis, and in the application of Skinner's (1957) analysis of verbal behavior to language assessment and intervention for children and adults with language delays.