Contingencies of Reinforcement. Chapter 4: The experimental analysis of behavior. Quote 18

B. F. SKINNER FOUNDATION

Contingencies of Reinforcement. Chapter 4: The experimental analysis of behavior. Quote 18

Post author:B. F. Skinner Foundation
Post published:April 24, 2018
Post category:Skinner's Quote of the Day

“An emphasis on topography of behavior at the expense of controlling relations is an example of the Formalistic Fallacy. It is common in linguistics and psycholinguistics.” (p. 89)

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SKINNER'S QUOTE OF THE DAY

Verbal Behavior: Extended Edition. Chapter 8: The Verbal Operant as a Unit of Analysis. Quote 5
The pathological condition of verbal behavior called aphasia often emphasizes functional differences which are hard to understand in terms of the traditional account … The aphasic has lost some of the functional relationships which control his verbal behavior. A response of a given form may no longer be under the control of one functional relation, although it is still under the control of another. (p. 190)
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“An emphasis on topography of behavior at the expense of controlling relations is an example of the Formalistic Fallacy. It is common in linguistics and psycholinguistics.” (p. 89)

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