Verbal Behavior Basics
What is verbal behavior?
Behavior that is reinforced through another person (a listener) providing the reinforcer.
Which verbal operant is a request for something wanted?
Mand.
What does FCT teach instead of problem behavior?
A functional communication response (a mand).
What is a token?
A conditioned reinforcer that can be exchanged for something valuable.
What does FR-1 mean?
Reinforce every correct response.
What is the difference between form (topography) and function?
Form is what the response looks like; function is why the behavior happens and what it produces.
Which verbal operant is labeling something you see, hear, or experience?
Tact.
If hitting previously gained attention, what should FCT teach?
A communication response that gets attention, such as “excuse me.”
What are backup reinforcers?
The actual rewards the learner wants (activities, items, privileges).
Why start with dense reinforcement?
To quickly build the behavior and make the token valuable.
learner says “cookie” because they see a cookie. What verbal operant is this?
Tact.
Hearing “Say dog” and saying “dog” is what operant?
Echoic.
Why must the mand match the function of the problem behavior?
Because the communication must produce the same outcome/reinforcer.
In a token system: behavior → token → reward. What is the token doing?
Bridging the delay between the behavior and the bigger reward.
What is response cost?
Removing earned tokens after a problem behavior.
A learner says “cookie” because they want to eat a cookie. What verbal operant is this?
Mand.
Answering “What animal barks?” with “dog” is what operant?
Intraverbal.
A learner screams to escape work. What would be an appropriate FCT replacement?
Teaching “break please” or “help.”
Why should target behaviors be observable?
So everyone knows exactly what behavior earns tokens and can respond consistently.
Why should you avoid letting a learner lose all tokens?
They may lose motivation and stop participating.
A learner can say “cookie” when asked “What do you want?” but cannot request a cookie when hungry. What does this show?
The learner knows the word form but has not learned the mand function. Teach across operants.
What is the difference between a textual response and a transcription response?
Textual = reading written words aloud. Transcription = writing/typing spoken words.
A child wants a toy but cannot reach it. The therapist pauses the activity so the child asks for help. What FCT procedure is this?
Interrupted-chain procedure.
Why might a token system fail even if the rewards are good?
The program, teacher, or environment may be inconsistent (unclear rules, missed tokens, lack of support).
A learner earns tokens for cleaning up toys. At first they earn tokens every time, then later only sometimes. What process is this?
Fading to intermittent reinforcement to build independence.