Conditioning verbal behavior of schizophrenics in a group therapy-like situation

Abstract

367rational responding to E 2 was disrupted by the radical "cue change" of a new experimenter.A high level of rational speech was obtained in this patient through elicitation and reinforcement techniques. It is apparent, however, that the newly established behavior showed little resistance to extinction in either experiment. This is not too surprising since the incompatible habit, verbalization of delusional material, had been reinforced over a long period of time and under a wide range of stimulus conditions. Various other attempts could be made t o build in the desired verbal behavior. For example, a series of experimenters could repeat the procedure followed by E 2 and E 3 in the expectation that generalization of the rational verbalizations to the stimulus class "other people" would eventually be enhanced. SUMMARYRational verbalizations in a neuropsychiatric patient were chosen at the class of behavior to reinforce while an effort was made not to reinforce the incompatible class, delusional material. E 1 conditioned the dependent variable, rational speech, to a high level of occurrence under a high frequency of reinforcement, but the conditioned response dropped sharply when an attempt was made t o lower the frequency of reinforcement. E 2 exposed the same S to alternating ten minute periods of "minimal" and "maximal" reinforcement and demonstrated condit>ioning of the same dependent variable. E 3 replicated the procedure which E 2 had followed and obtained similar results. REFERENCES 1. JENKINS, W. 0. and STANLEY, J. C. Partial reinforcement: a review and critique. Psychol. 2. KRASNER, L. Studies of the conditioning of verbal behavior. Psychol. Bull., 1958,66,148-170. 3. SALZINOER, K. Experimental manipulation of verbal behavior: a review.