A Review of Studies Examining the Nature of Selection-based and Topography-based Verbal Behavior

Potter, Bill; Brown, Deborah L

doi:10.1007/bf03392917

Cited by 29 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…In fact, anecdotal evidence suggests that location discrimination may have occurred during some later sessions, but posttest scores provide evidence against such a simple discrimination. Our results complement those of Potter and Brown (1997) in suggesting that selection-based responses promote the acquisition of topography-based responses, at least in the context of MTS protocols. In addition, evidence of discrimination between accurate and inaccurate stimuli was suggested by both participants' behavior, (question 2 for Mike and question 1 and question 2 for Carla).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 80%

“…Since Michael's seminal paper on the topic, researchers have continued to clarify the distinction between selectionbased and topography-based verbal behavior. Potter and Brown (1997) have suggested that topography-based responses might promote the acquisition of selectionbased responses in some contexts, especially in participants with extensive verbal repertoires. In examining the role of such verbal behavior, found that participants preferred selection-based tasks which incorporated a topography-based component when taught relations between sample stimuli consisting of flag-like patterns and comparison stimuli consisting of dot patterns.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Selection-Based Instruction and the Emergence of Topography-Based Responses to Interview Questions

O’Neill

Rehfeldt

2014

Analysis Verbal Behav

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The process of teaching job interview skills to adults with intellectual disability can be time consuming and arduous for vocational developmental centers. On review of the existing literature, Schloss et al. (1988) recognized that although the social validity of interview skills has been well documented, few studies have attempted to validate effective strategies for teaching such behaviors. Behavioral skills training (BST) has been shown to be effective (Hall et al. 1980;Kelly et al. 1980;Schloss et al. 1988) but requires repeated instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. One strategy that might attenuate this issue has been subject to conceptual analysis in recent years. That is the potential of selection-based responding to promote the emergence of topography-based responding.Michael (1985) identified two types of verbal behavior: selection-based and topography-based. The former requires an effective scanning repertoire, a subsequent conditional discrimination between stimuli, and no pointto-point correspondence between the response form and the response product (e.g., choosing the correct answer during a multiple-choice examination). In comparison, the latter involves an increase in the strength of a distinguishable topography given some specific controlling variable and point-to-point correspondence between the response form and the response product (e.g., providing the correct answer during an oral examination). Since Michael's seminal paper on the topic, researchers have continued to clarify the distinction between selectionbased and topography-based verbal behavior. Potter and Brown (1997) have suggested that topography-based responses might promote the acquisition of selectionbased responses in some contexts, especially in participants with extensive verbal repertoires. In examining the role of such verbal behavior, found that participants preferred selection-based tasks which incorporated a topography-based component when taught relations between sample stimuli consisting of flag-like patterns and comparison stimuli consisting of dot patterns. These researchers found that participants engaged in consistent vocal-verbal responding (i.e., problem-solving) during both selection-based tasks and selection-based tasks with a topography-based component. This finding was seen as support for the notion that some selection-based conditional discriminations, and emergent equivalence relations (see Walker et al. 2010;Lovett et al. 2011;Walker and Rehfeldt 2012), are promoted by topography-based vocal-verbal responding in individuals with extensive verbal repertoires. Indeed, it is likely that typically functioning adults engage in covert topography-based responses during selection-based tasks (e.g., multiple-choice examinations). Polson and Parsons (2000) commented on the concerns associated with ignoring the selection-based versus topography-based distinction and cautioned researchers on the use of selectionbased match-to-sample (MTS) tasks. The current study sought to validate the use of a selection-base...

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 80%

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confidence: 99%

Selection-Based Instruction and the Emergence of Topography-Based Responses to Interview Questions

O’Neill

Rehfeldt

2014

Analysis Verbal Behav

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“…Not surprisingly, therefore, their learning of vocal verbal behavior is often poor, particularly in the case of severely mentally retarded individuals. Manual sign training, however, often has proved to be a more effective means of establishing verbal behavior in such populations (Kahn, 1981;Potter & Brown, 1997;Sundberg, 1993). In addition to an increase in social interaction as the sign repertoire develops (Lloyd, 1976), there is evidence of a concomitant reduction in challenging behaviors (e.g., Casey, 1978).…”

Section: The Applied Significance Of Manual Namingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Naming and Categorization in Young Children: V. Manual Sign Training

Horne

Lowe

Harris

2007

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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Following pre‐training with everyday objects, 8 children aged from 2 to 4 years learned to produce one manual sign (fists placed one above the other, in front of body) to one stimulus and an alternative manual sign (shoulders touched with ipsilateral hands) to the other stimulus, with each of three pairs of different arbitrary wooden shapes (Set 1). The six stimuli then were presented in category match‐to‐sample tests, which all subjects passed. Three of the children were next trained to produce the manual signs (denoted as fist/shoulder) for an additional six arbitrary stimuli, Set 2. All 3 children went on to pass category match‐to‐sample tests for Set 2, and for Set 1 and Set 2 combined. In the final experimental phase, 2 of the children were trained, for one of the six stimulus pairs, to produce the vocal tact “zag” to one stimulus and “vek” to the other. Both children showed category transfer of these vocalizations in test trials with each of the remaining five stimulus pairs, and all the stimuli combined in a 12‐stimulus array. In line with Horne and Lowe's (1996) naming account, manual sign naming was found to be as effective as vocal naming in establishing arbitrary stimulus categorization, measured in terms of category sorting and transfer of function. The findings also have implications for the training of verbal repertoires in people with learning disabilities.

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“…Selecting a form of augmentative communication often involves a decision between a selection-based form of verbal behavior (e.g., the picture exchange communication system) (Frost & Bondy, 1994) and a topography-based form of verbal behavior (e.g., sign language). Conceptual analyses and research based on Skinner's Verbal Behavior suggest that selection-based systems involve multiple response forms (e.g., scanning, selecting, handing over) and conditional discriminations that are more complex than they first appear (e.g., Lowenkron, 1991;Michael, 1985;Potter & Brown, 1997;Potter, Huber, & Michael, 1997;Shafer, 1993;C. T. Sundberg & Sundberg, 1990;M.…”

Section: More General Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Benefits of Skinner’s Analysis of Verbal Behavior for Children with Autism

2001

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Behavior analysis has already contributed substantially to the treatment of children with autism, and further gains can result from more use of Skinner's analysis of language in Verbal Behavior (1957) and in the resulting conceptual and experimental work. The approach emphasizes a unit of analysis consisting of the relations between behavior, motivative and discriminative variables, and consequences. Skinner identifies seven types of verbal operants--echoic, mand, tact, intraverbal, textual, transcriptive, and copying a text--which function as components of more advanced forms of language. This approach focuses on the development of each verbal operant (rather than on words and their meanings) and on the independent training of speaker and listener repertoires. Five more specific contributions are described that relate to the importance of (a) an effective language assessment, (b) mand training in early intervention, (c) establishing operations, (d) an intraverbal repertoire, and (e) automatic reinforcement.

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A Review of Studies Examining the Nature of Selection-based and Topography-based Verbal Behavior

Cited by 29 publications

References 37 publications

Selection-Based Instruction and the Emergence of Topography-Based Responses to Interview Questions

Selection-Based Instruction and the Emergence of Topography-Based Responses to Interview Questions

Naming and Categorization in Young Children: V. Manual Sign Training

The Benefits of Skinner’s Analysis of Verbal Behavior for Children with Autism

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