About Behaviorism, Chapter 6: Verbal Behavior, Quote 7

Post author:B. F. Skinner Foundation
Post published:May 3, 2017
Post category:Skinner's Quote of the Day

“We may look for the meaning of a word in the dictionary, but dictionaries do not give meanings; at best they give other words having the same meanings.” (p. 103)

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SKINNER'S QUOTE OF THE DAY

Verbal Behavior: Extended Edition. Chapter 4: Verbal Behavior under the Control of Verbal Stimuli. Quote 16
Echoic responses are useful and reinforced when they serve as fill-ins. In answer to the question What will happen to the international situation during the next few weeks? the student may begin During the next few weeks, the international situation…, which may be purely echoic but, especially if the situation demands speed, self-reinforcing if it provides a breathing space for the composition of the rest of the sentence. (p. 57)
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“We may look for the meaning of a word in the dictionary, but dictionaries do not give meanings; at best they give other words having the same meanings.” (p. 103)

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