Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

From the Jones-Plug to the Amphora: Could Stemmer´s Theory of Language Acquisition Complement Skinner´s Theory of Listener Behavior?

  • THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
The Psychological Record Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Stemmer’s theory of language acquisition is an empiricist account of listener behavior learning based on ostensive processes similar to Pavlovian conditioning procedures. Even though it is not a strictly radical behaviorist theory, its formulation at the level of relations between stimuli and overt performance makes it suitable as a candidate to interpret recent experimental findings that use stimulus pairing procedures to investigate the learning of listener behavior. Stemmer describes stages that range from learning the meanings of words and complex sentences to processes that may be involved in learning new word meanings through their relations with other known words within verbal stimuli. Empirical evidences and limitations of the theory are described, and the case is made that this theory could be the source of a productive research program towards expanding behavior analytic accounts of listener behavior.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akhtar, N., Carpenter, M., & Tomasello, M. (1996). The role of discourse novelty in early word learning. Child Development, 67, 635–645. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131837

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alaiti, R., Martins-Filho, A., Piovezan, P., Silva, J. A., & Debert, P. (2017, November 14–15). Evaluating transfer of function as a product of temporal contiguity or functional classes [Symposium]. Association for Behavior Analysis International Ninth International Conference, Paris, France.

  • Alessi, G. (1992). Models of proximate and ultimate causation in psychology. American Psychologist, 47, 1359–1370. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.47.11.1359

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Allan, L. G., Tangen, J. M., Wood, R., & Shah, T. (2003). Temporal contiguity and contingency judgements: A Pavlovian analogue. Integrative Physiological & Behavior Science, 38, 214–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02688855

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amd, M., Almeida, J. H., de Rose, J. C., Silveira, C. C., & Pompermaier, H. M. (2017). Effects of orientation and differential reinforcement on transitive stimulus. Behavioral Processes, 144, 58–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.08.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avellaneda, M., & Menendez, J. (2016, November 23–26). Algunos fenómenos respondientes em la formación de relaciones derivadas [Conference Paper]. VIII Congreso Internacional de Investigación y Práctica Profesional en Psicología XXIII Jornadas de Investigación de la Facultad de Psicología XII Encuentro de Investigadores en Psicología del MERCOSUR. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

  • Ayres, J. J. B., Haddad, C., & Albert, M. (1987). One-trial excitatory backward conditioning assessed by conditioned suppression of licking in rats: Concurrent observations of lick suppression and defensive behaviors. Animal Learning & Behavior, 15, 212–217. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204964

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, D. (1994). Stimulus equivalence and relational frame theory. The Psychological Record, 44, 91–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnes-Holmes, D., & Hayes, S. C. (2002). Relational frame theory is a behavior analytic account: Is Tonneau’s? European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 3, 87–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021149.2002.11434208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes-Holmes, D., Hayes, S. C., & Roche, B. (2001). The (not so) strange death of stimulus equivalence. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 2, 35–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021149.2001.11434166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boelens, H., & Smeets, P. (1990). An analysis of emergent simple discrimination in children. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 42, 135–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borg, I., & Groenen, P. (1997). Modern multidimensional scaling: Theory and applications. Springer.

  • Bortoloti, R., & de Rose, J. C. (2007). Medida do grau de relacionamento entre estímulos equivalentes. Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 20, 252–258. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-79722007000200011

  • Brown, R. W. (1957). Linguistic determinism and the part of speech. Journal of Abnormal & Social Psychology, 55, 1–5. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/https://doi.org/10.1037/h0041199

  • Brown, R. W. (1958). Words and things. Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, C. P., & King, M. G. (1969). Backward sensory preconditioning: The ineffectiveness of the procedure under optimal conditions. Australian Journal of Psychology, 21, 55–58. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/https://doi.org/10.1080/00049536908255770

  • Cerutti, D. T. (1989). Discrimination theory of rule-governed behavior. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 51, 259–276. 10.1901%2Fjeab.1989.51-259

  • Clayton, M. C., & Hayes, L. J. (2004). A comparison of matching-to-sample and respondent-type training of equivalence classes. The Psychological Record, 54, 579–502. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395493

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Debert, P., Matos, M. A., & McIlvane, W. (2007). Conditional relations with compound abstract stimuli using a go/no-go procedure. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 87, 89–96. 10.1901%2Fjeab.2007.46-05

  • Delgado, D., & Hayes, L. J. (2013). The integration of learning paradigms by way of a non-causal analysis of behavioral events. Conductual, 1, 39–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delgado, D., & Hayes, L. J. (2014). An integrative approach to learning processes: Revisiting substitution of functions. The Psychological Record, 64, 625–637. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-014-0071-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delgado, D., & Medina, I. F. (2011). Efectos de dos tipos de entrenamiento respondiente sobre la formación de clases de equivalencia. Revista Mexicana de Análisis de la Conducta, 37, 33–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delgado, D., Medina, I. F., & Soto, J. S. (2011). El lenguaje como mediador de la transferencia de funciones: ¿Es necesario nominar para relacionar? Revista Mexicana de Análisis de la Conducta, 37, 31–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delgado, D., & Rodríguez, A. (2020). Stimulus equivalence using a respondent matching-to-sample procedure with verification trials. The Psychological Record, 72, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-020-00438-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diesendruck, G., Markson, L., Akhtar, N., & Reudor, A. (2004). Two-year-olds’ sensitivity to speakers intent: an alternative account of Samuelson and Smith. Developmental Science, 7, 22–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2004.00320.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, L. S. (1977). The nature of control by spoken words over visual stimulus selection. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 27, 433–442. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1977.27-433

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Donahoe, J. W., & Palmer, D. C. (1994). Learning and complex behavior. Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dougher, M. J., Augustson, E. M., Markham, M. R., Greenway, D., & Wulfert, E. (1994). The transfer of respondent eliciting and extinction functions through stimulus equivalence classes. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 50, 125–144. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1994.62-331

  • Dwyer, D. M., Mackintosh, N. J., & Boakes, R. A. (1998). Simultaneous activation of the representations of absent cues results in the formation of an excitatory association between them. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 24, 163–171. https://doi.org/10.1037/0097-7403.24.2.163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fantz, R. L. (1964). Visual experience in infants: decreased attention to familiar patterns relative to novel ones. Science, 3644, 668–670.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fields, L., Arntzen, E., & Moksness, M. (2014). Stimulus sorting: A quick and sensitive index of equivalence class formation. Psychological Record, 64, 487–498. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-014-0034-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fienup, D. M., Covey, D. P., & Critchfield, T. S. (2010). Teaching brain-behavior relations economically with stimulus equivalence technology. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 43, 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2010.43-19

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, A. (1995). Constructions: A construction grammar approach to argument structure. University of Chicago Press.

  • Goldstein, H. (1983). Training generative repertoires within agent-action-object miniature linguistic systems with children. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 26, 76–89. https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.2601.76

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, H. (1983). Recombinative generalization: Relationships between environmental conditions and the linguistic repertoires of language learners. Analysis & Intervention in Developmental Disabilities, 3, 279–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/0270-4684(83)90002-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, H. (1993). Structuring environmental input to facilitate generalized language learning by children with mental retardation. In A. P. Kaiser, & D. B. Gray (Eds.), Enhancing children’s communication: Research foundations for intervention. (Vol. 2, pp. 317–334). Paul H. Brookes.

  • Goldstein, H., Angelo, D., & Wetherby, B. (1987). Effects of training method and word order on adults’ acquisition of miniature linguistic systems. The Psychological Record, 37, 89–107. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395876

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gurteen, P. M., Horne, P. J., & Erjavec, M. (2011). Rapid word learning in 13- and 17-month olds in a naturalistic two-word procedure: Looking versus reaching measures. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 109, 201–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2010.12.001

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, L. J. (1992). Equivalence as a process. In S. C. Hayes & L. J. Hayes (Eds.), Understanding verbal relations (pp. 97–108). Context Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, S. C., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Roche, B. (Eds.) (2001). Relational frame theory: A post-Skinnerian account of human language and cognition. Kluwer Academic/Plenum.

  • Hayes, S. C., & Hayes, L. (1989). The verbal action of the listener as a basis for rule governance. In S. C. Hayes (Ed.), Rule-governed behavior: Cognition, contingencies and instructional control (pp. 153–188). Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, S. C., Kohlenberg, B. S., & Hayes, L. J. (1991). The transfer of general and specific consequential functions through simple and conditional equivalence relations. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 56, 119–137. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1991.56-119

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hearst, E. (1989). Backward associations: Differential learning about stimuli that follow the presence versus the absence of food in pigeons. Animal Learning & Behavior, 17, 280–290. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209801

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hearst, E., & Jenkins, H. M. (1974). Sign tracking: The stimulus–reinforcer relation and directed action. Psychonomic Society .

  • Herman, L. M., Richards, D. G., & Wolz, J. P. (1984). Comprehension of sentences by bottlenosed dolphins. Cognition, 16, 129–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(84)90003-9

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Horne, P. J., & Lowe, C. F. (1996). On the origins of naming and other symbolic behavior. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 65, 185–241. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1996.65-185

  • Kamin, L. J. (1969). Predictability, surprise, attention and conditioning. In B. A. Campbell & R. M. Church (Eds.), Punishment and aversive behavior (pp. 279–296). Appleton-Century-Crofts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laporte, F. F., & Melo, R. M. (2016). Seguimento de instruções e repertório recombinativo: Efeito da formação de classes de equivalência e do tipo de composição dos estímulos. Acta Comportamentalia, 24, 297–313.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laporte, F. F., & Melo, R. M. (2023). Recombinative instruction-following without reinforcement. The Psychological Record, 73, 237–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-023-00547-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leader, G., & Barnes-Holmes, D. (2001). Matching-to-sample and respondent-type training as methods for producing equivalence relations: Isolating the critical variable. The Psychological Record, 50, 429–444. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leader, G., Barnes, D., & Smeets, P. M. (1996). Establishing equivalence relations using a respondent-type training procedure. The Psychological Record, 46, 63–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leader, G., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Smeets, P. M. (2000). Establishing equivalence relations using a respondent-type training procedure III. The Psychological Record, 50, 63–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lenneberg, E. H. (1962). Understanding language without ability to speak: A case report. Journal of Abnormal Social Psychology, 65, 419–425. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/https://doi.org/10.1037/h0041906

  • Lowe, C. F., & Horne, P. J. (1996). Reflections on naming and other symbolic behavior. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 65, 315–340. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1996.65-315

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Luciano, C., Becerra, I. G., & Valverde, M. R. (2007). The role of multiple-exemplar training and naming in establishing derived equivalence in an infant. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 87, 349–365. 10.1901%2Fjeab.2007.08-06

  • MacCorquodale, K. (1970). On Chomsky’s review of Skinner’s Verbal Behavior. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 13, 83–99. 10.1901%2Fjeab.1970.13-83

  • Malott, R. W. (2003). Behavior analysis and linguistic productivity. Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 19, 11–18. 10.1007%2FBF03392978

  • Miller, R. R., & Matute, H. (1996a). Animal analogues of causal judgment. In D. R. Shanks, K. J. Holyoak, & D. L. Medin (Eds.), Causal learning. Academic Press.

  • Miller, R. R., & Matute, H. (1996). Biological significance in forward and backward blocking: Resolution of a discrepancy between animal conditioning and human causal judgment. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 135, 370–386. https://doi.org/10.1037//0096-3445.125.4.370

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, C., Angelopoulos, M., & Bennett, P. (1999). Word learning in the context of referential and salience cues. Developmental Psychology, 35, 60–68. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.35.1.60

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mowrer, O. H. (1954). The psychologist looks at language. The American Psychologist, 9, 660–694. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0062737

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mowrer, O. H. (1960). Learning theory and the symbolic processes. John Wiley & Sons.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Naigles, L. (1990). Children use syntax to learn verb meanings. Journal of Child Language, 17, 357–374. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000900013817

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Naigles, L. G., Gleitman, H., & Gleitman, L. R. (1993). Children acquire word meaning components from syntactic evidence. In E. Dromi (Ed.), Language and cognition: A developmental perspective (pp. 104–140). Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Hora, D., Barnes-Holmes, D., Roche, B., & Smeets, P. (2004). Derived relational networks and control by novel instructions: A possible model of generative verbal responding. The Psychological Record, 54, 437–460. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira, T. P., de Gil, M. S. C., & A. (2007). Elementos fundamentais para a aquisição de operantes verbais por bebês: análise comportamental da “atenção compartilhada.” Revista Brasileira de Terapia Comportamental e Cognitiva, 9, 217–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osgood, C. E. (1953). Method and theory in experimental psychology. Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osgood, C. E., Suci, G. I., & Tannenbaum, P. H. (1957). The measurement of meaning. University of Illinois Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, D. C. (2007). Verbal behavior: What is the function of structure. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 8, 161–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021149.2007.11434280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pear, J. J., & Eldrige, G. D. (1984). The operant-respondent distinction: Future directions. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 42, 453–467. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1984.42-453

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Perez, W. F., Campos, H. C., & Debert, P. (2009). Procedimento go/no-go com estímulos compostos e a emergência de duas classes com três estímulos. Acta Comportamentalia, 17, 191–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Place, U. T. (1989). Concept acquisition and ostensive learning: A response to Professor Stemmer. Behaviorism, 17, 141–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Place, U. T. (1998). Sentence and sentence structure in the analysis of verbal behavior. Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 15, 131–133.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rehfeldt, R. A., Clayton, M., & Hayes, L. J. (1998). Blocking the formation of 5-member equivalence classes using complex samples. Mexican Journal of behavior analysis, 24, 279–292.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rehfeldt, R. A., Dixon, M. R., Hayes, L. J., & Steele, A. (1998). Stimulus equivalence and the blocking effect. The Psychological Record, 48, 647–664. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rehfeldt, R. A., & Hayes, L. J. (1998). The operant-respondent distinction revisited: Toward an understanding of stimulus equivalence. The Psychological Record, 48, 187–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reichenbach, H. (1951). The rise of scientific philosophy. University of California Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rescorla, R. A. (1980a). Simultaneous and successive associations in sensory preconditioning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 6, 207–216. https://doi.org/10.1037/0097-7403.6.3.207

  • Rescorla, R. A. (1980b). Pavlovian second-order conditioning: Studies in associative learning. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

  • Rescorla, R. A. (1988). Pavlovian conditioning: It’s not what you think it is. American Psychologist, 43, 151–160. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.43.3.151

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rescorla, R. A., & Furrow, D. R. (1977). Stimulus similarity as a determinant of Pavlovian conditioning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 3, 203–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0097-7403.3.3.203

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rico, V.V., Goulart, P. R. K., Hamasaki, E. I. M., & Tomanari, G. Y. (2012). Percepção e atenção. In M. M. C. Hubner, & M. B. Moreira (Eds.), Fundamentos de Psicologia: Temas clássicos de psicologia sob a ótica da Análise do Comportamento. Guanabara Koogan.

  • Ríos-Checa, A., Inzunza, N. Q., Medina, R. R., Valdés, J. G. L., & Cruz, B. J. S. (2010). Sit on a drawing of a chair. Revista Mexicana de Psicologia, 27, 35–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roche, B., & Barnes, D. (1997). A transformation of respondently conditioned functions in accordance with arbitrarily applicable relations. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 67, 275–301. 10.1007%2FBF03393073

  • Rosales, R., Rehfeldt, R. A., & Huffman, N. (2012). Examining the utility of the stimulus pairing procedure with preschool children learning a second language. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 45, 173–177. 10.1901%2Fjaba.2012.45-173

  • Samuelson, L. K., & Smith, L. B. (1998). Memory and attention make smart word learning: An alternative account of Akhtar, Carpenter, and Tomasello. Child Development, 69, 94–104. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1998.tb06136.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Savage-Rumbaugh, E. S. (1986). Ape language: From conditioned response to symbol. Columbia University Press.

  • Savastano, H. I., & Miller, R. R. (1998). Time as content in Pavlovian conditioning. Behavioural Processes, 44, 147–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0376-6357(98)00046-1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schlinger, H. D. (1990). A reply to behavior analysts writing about rules and rule-governed behavior. Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 8, 77–82. 10.1007%2FBF03392849

  • Schlinger, H. D. (2008). Conditioning the behavior of the listener. International Journal of Psychology & Psychological Therapy, 8, 309–322.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlinger, H. D., & Blakely, E. (1987). Function-altering effects of contingency-specifying stimuli. The Behavior Analyst, 102, 41–45. 10.1007%2FBF03392405

  • Schoneberger, T. (1990). Understanding and the listener: Conflicting views. Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 8, 141–150.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sidman, M. (1994). Equivalence relations and behavior: A research history. Authors Cooperative.

  • Skinner, B. F. (1957). Verbal behavior. Prentice Hall.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1966). An operant analysis of problem solving. In B. Kleinmuntz (Ed.), Problem solving: research, method and theory (pp. 133–171). John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B.F. (1969). Contingencies of reinforcement. A theoretical analysis. Appleton-Century-Crofts.

  • Skinner, B. F. (1974). About behaviorism. Knopf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1989). The behavior of the listener. In S. C. Hayes (Ed.), Rule-governed behavior: Cognition, contingencies, and instructional control (pp. 85–96). Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Smeets, P. M., Leader, G., & Barnes, D. (1997). Establishing stimulus classes in adults and children using a respondent-type training procedure: A follow-up study. The Psychological Record, 47, 285–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sousa, N. M., Souza, C. B. A., & Gil, M. S. C. A. (2013). Aprendizagem rápida de comportamento de ouvinte por um bebê. Interação em Psicologia, 17, 67–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Souza, C. B. A. (2003). Uma proposta de análise funcional da aquisição da linguagem: Resultados iniciais. Interação em Psicologia, 7, 83–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Souza, C. B. A., Miccione, M. M., & Assis, G. J. A. (2009). Relações autoclíticas, gramática e sintaxe: O tratamento skinneriano e as propostas de Place e Stemmer. Arquivos Brasileiros de Psicologia, 61, 121–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spetch, M. L., Wilkie, D. M., & Pinel, J. P. J. (1981). Backward conditioning: A reevaluation of the empirical evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 89, 163–175.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Staats, R. W. (1968). Learning, language, and cognition. Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

  • Stemmer, N. (1973). An empiricist theory of language acquisition. Mouton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stemmer, N. (1979). On the nature of meanings. Semiotica, 27, 307–325. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00219644

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stemmer, N. (1983). The roots of knowledge. Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stemmer, N. (1987). The learning of syntax: An empiricist approach. First Language, 7, 97–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014272378700702001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stemmer, N. (1987b). The learning of syntax: A reply. First Language, 7, 137–144. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/https://doi.org/10.1177/014272378700702005

  • Stemmer, N. (1992). The behavior of the listener, generic extensions, and the communicative adequacy of verbal behavior. Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 10, 69–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03392875

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Stemmer, N. (1994). On structure-dependent grammars: A reply to Mabry. Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 12, 97–99. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392901

  • Stemmer, N. (1995). Do we need an alternative theory of verbal behavior? A reply to Hayes and Wilson. The Behavior Analyst, 18, 357–362. 10.1007%2FBF03392724

  • Stemmer, N. (1996). Listener behavior and ostensive learning. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 65, 247–249.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Stemmer, N. (2000). The role of action names, action frames, and modifiers in listener. The Behavior Analyst Today, 2, 23–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stemmer, N. (2001). Pavlovian correlations and action frames. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 2, 94–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stemmer, N. (2002). Further steps towards an improved version of behavior analysis. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 3, 37–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stemmer, N. (2004). Has Chomsky’s argument been refuted? A reply to Skinner, Cautilli, and Hantula. The Behavior Analyst Today, 4, 386–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stemmer, N. (2005). On MacCorquodale’s Reply to Chomsky. Verbal Behavior News, 5, 9–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Striefel, S., Wetherby, B., & Karlan, G. R. (1976). Establishing generalized verb-noun instruction following skills in retarded children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 22, 247–260.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stromer, R., McIlvane, W. J., & Serna, R. W. (1993). Complex stimulus control and equivalence. The Psychological Record, 43, 585–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sundberg, M. L., Michael, J., Partington, J. W., & Sundberg, C. A. (1996). The role of automatic reinforcement in early language acquisition. Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 13, 21–37.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi, K., Yamamoto, J., & Noro, F. (2011). Stimulus pairing training in children with autism spectrum disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5, 547–553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomasello, M. (2003). Constructing a language: A usage-based theory of language acquisition. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv26070v8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tonneau, F. (2001). Equivalence relations: A critical analysis. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 2, 1–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tonneau, F. (2001). Equivalence relations: A reply. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 2, 99–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tonneau, F. (2004). Verbal understanding and Pavlovian processes. The Behavior Analyst Today, 5, 158–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tonneau, F., Abreu, N. K., & Cabrera, F. (2004). Sitting on the word “chair”: Behavioral support, contextual cues, and the literal use of symbols. Learning & Motivation, 35, 262–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tonneau, F., Arreola, F., & Matínez, A. G. (2006). Function transformation without reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 85, 393–405.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tonneau, F., & González, C. (2004). Function transfer in human operant experiments: The role of stimulus pairings. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 81, 239–255. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2004.81-239

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tonneau, F., & Sokolowski, M. B. C. (1997). Standard principles, nonstandard data and unsolved issues. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 68, 266–270. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1997.68-266

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Vichi, C., Nascimento, G. S., & Souza, C. B. A. (2012). Aprendizagem ostensiva, comportamento de ouvinte e transferência de função por pareamento de estímulos. Revista Brasileira de Terapia Comportamental e Cognitiva, 15, 16–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villate, J. L., Villatte, M., & Hayes, S. C. (2016). Mastering the clinical conversation: Language as intervention. Guilford Press.

  • Ward-Robinson, J., & Hall, G. (1996). Backward sensory preconditioning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 22, 395–404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward-Robinson, J., & Hall, G. (1998). Backward sensory preconditioning when reinforcement is delayed. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 51, 349–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wetherby, B. C., & Striefel, S. (1978). Application of miniature linguistic system or matrix training procedures. In R. Schiefellbusch (Ed.), Bases of language intervention (pp. 317–356). University Park Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitehurst, G. J. (1996). On the origins of misguided theories of naming and other symbolic behavior. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 65, 255–259.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This research is part of scientific program of the National Institute of Science and Technology on Behavior, Cognition, and Teaching (INCT-ECCE), supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, grant #465686/ 2014-1) and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, grant #2014/50909-8).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Distrito Federal, Brazil

    Fábio Freire Laporte

  2. Instituto de Psicologia, Departamento de Processos Psicológicos Básicos, Universidade de Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil

    Raquel Maria de Melo

Authors
  1. Fábio Freire Laporte
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Raquel Maria de Melo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

This article is based on Fábio Freire Laporte’s doctoral thesis under supervision of Raquel Maria de Melo. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fábio Freire Laporte.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of Interest/Competing Interests

Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Laporte, F.F., de Melo, R.M. From the Jones-Plug to the Amphora: Could Stemmer´s Theory of Language Acquisition Complement Skinner´s Theory of Listener Behavior?. Psychol Rec (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-024-00596-y

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-024-00596-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation