A systematic review of empirical intraverbal research: 2015–2020

Abstract

The impact of Verbal Behavior (Skinner, 1957) on behavior analytic research, although not immediate, has steadily increased. Empirical investigations of verbal operants initially focused on mands and tacts, yet other operants such as intraverbals, echoics, and autoclitics have started to receive more attention. Aguirre et al. (2016) reviewed intraverbal research between 2005 and 2015. The results showed an increase in intraverbal research, with studies mostly focused on direct intraverbal training and emergent behavior. The authors noted the substantial increase in intraverbal studies assessing emergence, suggesting a subsequent brief review would be beneficial. The purpose of the current review was to replicate and extend Aguirre et al. In addition to analyzing publication trends and research emphasis, we also identified and quantified the skill sets of participants, the method and components of training, and additional procedural details. The findings show a continued increase in intraverbal research, with empirical evidence supporting prerequisite skills.

A translational evaluation of component skills for the establishment of multiply controlled intraverbals

“…The results from this line of research may inform clinical practice. In a recent review of intraverbal research, Jennings et al (2021) found that intraverbals were most commonly established using direct training with echoic prompts. The current line of research suggests instead of directly teaching intraverbals, a more advantageous and efficient approach would be to establish repertoires that could lead to emergent intraverbals.…”

A scoping review of empirical research on emergent intraverbal behavior

“…Recent literature reviews focused on more broadly on the intraverbal or emergent verbal behavior have identified varying numbers of studies in this area, ranging from 16 (DeSouza et al, 2017) to 30 (Raaymakers et al, 2019) to 31 (Aguirre et al, 2016) to 52 (Pérez-González, 2020). The inconsistency in the number of studies identified notwithstanding, many of these authors have directly called for more in-depth reviews on emergent intraverbal behavior (Aguirre et al, 2016;DeSouza et al, 2017;Jennings et al, 2021). Some limitations of these review papers also indicate a need for further work in this area.…”

“…Conducting a focused review on behaviors that were themselves not directly trained but established by training some other type of response (i.e., emergent) requires a unique approach to coding. For example, Jennings et al (2021) conducted the most recent review of the intraverbal literature as a whole (extending Aguirre et al, 2016) and included variables related to direct training such as prompts, prompt-fading, error correction, and putative reinforcers. These variables are of clear value when investigating the outcomes of transfer-of-stimulus control procedures.…”

Effects of textual prompting and constant time delay on social communication skills of young adults with Prader Willi syndrome during online socialisation activities

“…The objective evaluation of acts of communication is often complex, as the words used can serve different communicative functions (Jennings et al, 2021). A verbal instance's effect on the listener determines the verbal function; he acts as a mediator in the person's interest; the latter uses the person listening to mediate the environment (Cooper et al, 2020).…”

“…Many interventions have proven effective in enhancing conversational skills (Jennings et al, 2021). Some studies have focused on evaluating the effectiveness of using text prompts (Swerdan & Rosales, 2017).…”