Verbal rules and their methodological explication in the concept of radical behaviorism
The article is dedicated to the problem of verbal behavior learning in such a course of Western psychology as radical behaviorism. The aim of work is to systematize the methodological toolkit for analyzing behavior based on the use of language, to which sufficient attention has not been given yet in domestic psychology. In the introduction it is briefly described the nature of conceptual discrepancies about the language and the nature of linguistic activity between behaviorism and other, primarily cognitive, directions. In the main part it is revealed a number of methodological guidelines for radical behaviorism on the problem (language as an activity that is governed by the laws of behavior). Particular attention is paid to the taxonomy of verbal behavior, in particular the distinction of behavior controlled by reinforcement conditions and behavior governed by rules. The problem of sufficiency of the conceptual apparatus of radical behaviorism for the explication of these types is considered. The functional role of the rule in the operant behavior formula (discriminative stimulus, verbal antecedent) is emphasized, the complexity of identification of the behavior controlled by the rules in a sequence of other behavioral acts is mentioned. Importance is attached to the analysis of the nature of the rules. The discrepancies between their interpretation as an environmental component and purely functional vision are pointed out, leaving, however, a number of problematic questions: is it possible to interpret the concept “rule” purely behaviorally, without references to its possible supersituation. Finally, the paper considers functional classes of following instructions, which are three. In the conclusion it is indicated that the category of “verbal” rule, despite its ambiguousness, has a heuristical opportunity which gives us better understanding of the word-meaning in the behavior control and modification. The obtained results can be used in the organization of experimental studies of behavioral patterns controlled by speech rules and instructions.