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Perspective Taking as a Continuum

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Abstract

In recent years, behavior analysts have given an increasing amount of attention to the topic of perspective taking. However, the construct of perspective taking refers to a number of behaviors that vary along a continuum of complexity. Moreover, it is possible that verbal behavior plays a special participatory role in perspective taking. The current paper proposes a continuum of perspective taking behavior, ranging from relatively simple to complex types. After describing this continuum, the role of verbal behavior in perspective taking is considered. The implications of our analysis and avenues for further research are provided.

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Notes

  1. The term complexity refers to the number and type of factors involved in the perspective taking event field (i.e., interbehavioral history of stimulus and response substitution).

  2. Kantor (e.g., 1924) uses the term association to refer to spatiotemporal relations among various factors in the environment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV, 89557-0296, USA

    Genevieve M. DeBernardis & Linda J. Hayes

  2. California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Mitch J. Fryling

Authors
  1. Genevieve M. DeBernardis
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  2. Linda J. Hayes
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  3. Mitch J. Fryling
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Correspondence to Genevieve M. DeBernardis.

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DeBernardis, G.M., Hayes, L.J. & Fryling, M.J. Perspective Taking as a Continuum. Psychol Rec 64, 123–131 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-014-0008-0

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