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Verbal Behavior: A functional view of language acquisition

What is a behavioral way to talk about what a word “means?”

A functional view of language (Skinner, 1957) defines the “meaning” of any particular word (spoken, signed, written, etc) by the environmental events that occur before and after it. These before/after events are called antecedents and consequences. For instance, when we’re thirsty (an antecedent environmental event), we say water and someone brings it (a consequent environmental event). But that’s not the only situation in which we say the word water. We also say water if someone says “say ‘water’” or in response to the question “what is H20?”

Thus, the “meaning” of a word is defined by how the word functions; that is, by the functional ABC unit in which the word occurs.

Functional ABC Unit

How is a functional analysis helpful in teaching speech-language?

By analyzing communication behavior (speech, sign, etc) in functional units, we can tailor teaching procedures to improve not only particular word forms (sounds/phonemes, hand movements, written symbols, etc) but, more importantly, we can help people learn to emit those forms across many different functions. These Verbal Functions are called verbal operants.

Read evidence-based practice in The Analysis of Verbal Behavior

Read The Empirical Applications of Skinner's Analysis of Verbal Behavior with Humans
(Sautter & LeBlanc, 2006)

Skinner, B. F. (1957). Verbal behavior. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.