Verbal Behavior

In 1957 B.F. Skinner published his text Verbal Behavior. The book provides a natural science approach to the acquistion of language. Skinner suggested that the basic principles of behavior that were already known, e.g. reinforcement, extinction, stimulus control, etc., were sufficient to account for the development of language and his text is a description of the process by which these principles select and shape verbal behavior during the lifetime of a person. With Skinner's ideas as a conceptual guide and ultimately a set of testable hypotheses a line of empirical research was opened on the topic by Dr. Jack Michael and his student Dr. Mark Sundberg in the 1970's. Since that time dozens of research articles have documented the correctness of aspects of Skinner's analysis of how verbal behavior is acquired. These research papers are mainly published in The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. In recent years many behavior analysts involved in the education and treatment of children with autism have adopted Skinner's analysis as a conceptual guide to the teaching of verbal behavior to children with autism and related disorders. (from www.dr.carbone.net)