Mediated generalization and the interpretation of verbal behavior: I. Prolegomena.

Abstract

Since Watson's epoch-making hypothesis relating thinking to sub-vocal speech, psychologists have emphasized, to a greater or lesser degree, the important role which language mechanisms (verbal, manual, postural, etc.) play in complex human behavior. Although there has been much speculation regarding the nature and function of linguistic behavior, relatively few experimental data are available as the basis for systematized theory in this area. In fact, language mechanisms have often been regarded as 'uncontrolled variables' in psychological investigations.The present paper reports an attempt (i) to extend the objective principles derived from conditioned response experimentation to certain aspects of linguistic behavior, and (2) to show how such an interpretation of language behavior throws light on other psychological phenomena in which language plays an important role. It should be emphasized at the outset that not only are the conditioned response principles (e.g., reinforcement, generalization) here employed well established and generally accepted, but their validity as principles of linguistic behavior has been determined by

Mediated generalization and the interpretation of verbal behavior: V. 'Free association' as related to differences in professional training.

“…Likewise, many investigators, such as Mohsin (13), categorically state that the associations originated from 'past experience,' although their experiments were not specifically designed to determine whether or not this was the case. 3 A similar interpretation is made by Pintner (15), who designates 'habit' as one of the factors accounting for the 'free associations,' obtained annually from 1925 to 1943, to the item "Think of the name of a President of the United States. "…”

“…In previous papers of this series, direct and indirect, or mediated, types of generalization were theoretically discussed (3) and experimentally demonstrated along various gradients (8,4). The development of mediated generalization in an everyday-life situation was also experimentally investigated (9).…”

Mediated generalization and the interpretation of verbal behavior: II. Experimental study of certain homophone and synonym gradients.

“…The first two problems involve generalization to stimuli directly related semantically or homophonically to the reinforced word, whereas the third problem involves semantic generalization to a stimulus only indirectly related to the reinforced wordtwo transformations removed from the original reinforced word, cf. (1).…”

Mediated generalization and the interpretation of verbal behavior. IV. Experimental study of the development of inter-linguistic synonym gradients.

“…The same intra-serial order (that of Table I) was used for every S in the case of all lists. Retention was measured by the method of retained members for the Buffer and English Test Lists, the Ss being told that they would not be asked to 1 German words, for example, were excluded because of their frequent resemblance to Yiddish words.…”