Abstract
Within the cognitive literature, verbal protocols of cognitive events are plagued by difficult questions of unconsciousness, completeness, reactivity, and validity. In this paper we argue that these concerns apply with much less force or not at all when protocol analysis is used to determine whether a given instance of behavior is governed by self-generated rules. When adequate controls are used, some patterns of results allow this question to be answered unambiguously and in a manner untouched by the philosophical hurdles encountered within the cognitive literature on protocol analysis. We argue that in at least some circumstances a slightly modified version of protocol analysis allows us to know, in a functional sense, what a person was thinking. Protocol analysis can be very useful to behavior analysts who are interested in determining whether task-relevant behavior is controlled by self-generated rules or is purely contingency shaped.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- AYLLON T., AZRIN N. H. REINFORCEMENT AND INSTRUCTIONS WITH MENTAL PATIENTS. J Exp Anal Behav. 1964 Jul;7:327–331. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1964.7-327. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Catania A. C., Matthews B. A., Shimoff E. Instructed versus shaped human verbal behavior: Interactions with nonverbal responding. J Exp Anal Behav. 1982 Nov;38(3):233–248. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1982.38-233. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hayes S. C., Brownstein A. J., Haas J. R., Greenway D. E. Instructions, multiple schedules, and extinction: Distinguishing rule-governed from schedule-controlled behavior. J Exp Anal Behav. 1986 Sep;46(2):137–147. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1986.46-137. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- doi: 10.1901/jeab.1986.45-351. [DOI] [PMC free article] [Google Scholar]
- Russo J. E., Johnson E. J., Stephens D. L. The validity of verbal protocols. Mem Cognit. 1989 Nov;17(6):759–769. doi: 10.3758/bf03202637. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shimoff E., Catania A. C., Matthews B. A. Uninstructed human responding: Sensitivity of low-rate performance to schedule contingencies. J Exp Anal Behav. 1981 Sep;36(2):207–220. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1981.36-207. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wulfert E., Dougher M. J., Greenway D. E. Protocol analysis of the correspondence of verbal behavior and equivalence class formation. J Exp Anal Behav. 1991 Nov;56(3):489–504. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1991.56-489. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]