This piece examined whether reinforcing specific forms of verbal behavior could increase children’s voluntary reading behavior. Building on prior research in Behavior Analysis and Verbal Behavior, the study focused on “positive qualifying autoclitics”—statements that modify or qualify other verbal responses in ways that indicate positive evaluation (e.g., describing a book as “really interesting” or “super fun”). The researchers investigated whether praise contingent on these kinds of verbal statements would influence how frequently participants chose to engage in reading activities. The study was grounded in the idea that verbal communities shape preferences and patterns of behavior not only through direct reinforcement of actions, but also through reinforcement of the ways individuals talk about experiences. The findings suggested that reinforcing positive qualifying autoclitics was associated with increases in reading frequency for the participants. The authors argued that shaping evaluative verbal behavior may alter the reinforcing functions of activities such as reading by influencing how individuals relationally frame or verbally interact with those experiences. More broadly, the study contributed to the analysis of verbal behavior by demonstrating how relatively subtle verbal contingencies can affect nonverbal behavior patterns over time. The paper highlights how Skinnerian analyses of autoclitic processes may have practical applications in educational settings, particularly when attempting to increase engagement in academically relevant behaviors like leisure reading.
Related Domains: Complex Verbal Behavior, Committed Action
Citation: Sheyab M, Pritchard J, Malady M. (2014) An Extension of the Effects of Praising Positive Qualifying Autoclitics on the Frequency of Reading. Analysis of Verbal Behavior. Jul 17;30(2):141-7. doi: 10.1007/s40616-014-0017-8. PMID: 27429895; PMCID: PMC4883526.