Presented by:Khrystle Montallana

What is Verbal Behavior? Verbal behavior is the behavioral term for

language.

▪ Examples:▪ The bartender asks, “What would you like to drink?” You reply,

“A cranberry and vodka, please.”

▪ During a verbal imitation program, you say “puppy”. Jimmy says, “puppy” and you reinforce his response with a cheeto.

Words are behavior!

Understanding the FUNCTION of language (the effects of language on the environment and those environmental variables that produce language) is critical to promoting the acquisition of speech and language.

Some components of verbal behavior include:

Echoics

Mands

Tacts

Intraverbals

What is an echoic? Verbal behavior (language) whose form is

controlled by someone else's verbal behavior with point-to-point (1:1) correspondence (e.g. the child echoes exactly the speech of the teacher).

Real-life examples:▪ A Spanish friend is teaching you Spanish. She says “Hola”

and you say, “Hola”.

▪ A friend asks for your phone number. You say, “555-1213”. Your friend repeats it, “555-1213”.

An echoic is evoked by:

The verbal behavior of another person.

An echoic is reinforced by:

Praise

Example:

▪ During Timmy’s verbal imitation program, you say “Cupcake”. Timmy repeats, “Cupcake”. You say “Good!”

What is a mand?

Request

Real-life examples:

▪ Saying, “I’ll have a non-fat iced latte” to the Starbucks employee.

▪ A child asking, “Can I pet your dog?”

A mand is evoked by: Motivating operations (e.g. desire to attain items,

activities, or information)

A mand is reinforced by: Receipt of object requested

Examples:▪ After playing outside in the heat, Timmy points to a water bottle

and says, “Water.” You reinforce his response with a cup of water.▪ You are pushing Timmy on the swings. You stop and he says

“Push”. You reinforce his behavior by pushing him.

What is a tact?

Naming, expressive labels

Real-life examples:

Hearing Tupac on the radio and saying “It’s Tupac.”

Smelling smoke and saying “Fire!”

A tact is evoked by: The presence of stimuli in the environment (SD)

A tact is reinforced by: Praise

Examples:▪ You show Skylar a picture of a flower. She says “flower”. You

say “Good job!”▪ While playing with Barbie, Skylar says “Pink”, referencing

the color of Barbie’s shoes. You say “You’re right, her shoes are pink!”

What are intraverbals? Verbal behavior (language) evoked by other verbal

behavior.

Intraverbals include:▪ Fill in the blanks▪ Answers to questions▪ Conversation with comments and questions

Real-life examples:▪ A friend asks, “How are you?” You reply, “I’m fine, thanks”.▪ An employer asks, “Where do you go to school?” You

reply, “Western Michigan.”

An intraverbal is evoked by: A Verbal stimulus (language)

An intraverbal is reinforced by: Consequences unrelated to the verbal

response

Examples:▪ You ask Jimmy, “Where do you go to school?” He

replies, “KAC”.▪ While singing with Jimmy, you say “Twinkle, twinkle,

little ____” and he says “Star.”

Similarity: Echoics, tacts, and intraverbals are all forms of verbal

behavior.

Differences: Tact vs. Intraverbal

▪ Different SDs▪ Intraverbal= verbal SD▪ Tact= presence, sound, feel etc. of a stimulus

Echoic vs. Intraverbal▪ Correspondence of SD response

▪ Echoic: SD (“Cookie”) Response (“Cookie”)▪ Intraverbal: verbal SD (“1, 2”) Response (“3”)

Echoic Mand Tact

Also called N/A Requesting Naming

Evoked by Verbal behavior of others

Motivation Operation

SD (Non-verbal)

Reinforced by Praise Receipt of object requested

Praise

Levin, L. (2007). ABA-Based Strategies to Promote Speech and Language: Incidental Teaching, Pivotal Response Training, and Skinner’s Analysis of Verbal Behavior. Powerpoint Presented in Orange County.

Malott, R.W. (2009). Principles of Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Sundberg M.L, Partington J.W. (1998).Teaching Language to Children With Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. Pleasant Hill, CA: Behavior Analysts, Inc.