Assignment In 1957, Skinner wrote the book Verbal Behavior in which he analyzed language based on the same environmental principles of behavior that he used to analyze nonverbal behavior. That analysis resulted in a classification system that allows for the identification of different types of language. The elementary verbal operants originated from this system, including:
Mands
Tacts.
Echoic.
Intraverbal (Sundberg, 1998).
This assignment allows you to further solidify your understanding of this classification system.
To complete this assignment, write an APA-formatted paper in which you:
Review the examples in the grid below and identify which verbal operant (mands, tacts, echoic, and intraverbal) is being presented. Either copy and paste the table into your document or recreate the grid in your paper, then fill in the third column.
Define each of the four verbal operants and justify the answers you provided. Why did you choose the verbal operant that you did?
Provide your own example of each verbal operant in narrative form.
Explain why it is beneficial for learners to increase their mand, tact, echoic and intraverbal repertoire, and any limitations to increasing each repertoire.
Verbal Operant Grid
As a result of… One has a tendency to… Verbal Operant
Smelling smoke Say, “I smell smoke!”
Parent says “no” Say, “no”
“How was your day?” Say, “it was great!”
Drinking water Says, “where’s the restroom?”
Be sure to support your choices with the weekly readings and other scholarly resources.
