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| The Relationship of Verbal Behavior to Anxiety and Problem Solving |
| Saturday, May 26, 2007 |
| 2:00 PM–2:50 PM |
| Cunningham B |
| Area: TPC |
| Chair: James Kopp (University of Texas, Arlington) |
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| Verbal versus Non-Verbal Behavior as Multiple versus Tandem Schedule Control: Schedule Preferences in Laboratory Rats. |
| Domain: Theory |
| JAMES KOPP (University of Texas, Arlington), Melissa Roark (University of Texas, Arlington) |
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| Abstract: In problem solving an organism comes to emit responses that have been useful in the past to manipulate its own personal contingencies to produce a response that "solves" a problem. In verbal behavior a human organism comes to emit responses that have been useful in the past to manipulate the contingencies of another human organism to produce a response that "solves a problem." It is argued here that personal problem solving resembles a tandem schedule performance, with "solutions" being more response than stimulus induced and that verbal behavior resembles a multiple schedule performance with "solutions" being more stimulus induced than response induced. Since it is generally thought that verbal behavior is a product of evolution, it should be that species not known to have verbal behavior are more likely to engage in tandem schedule performances than in multiple schedule performances when confronted with a problem. The present experiment examines this prediction using a concurrent choice procedure with laboratory rats as subjects. The results revealed a preference for the multiple schedule over the tandem schedule of reinforcement among the test animals. |
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