The developmental control of operant motor responding by verbal operants

There was an interaction between age and mode of delivery in controlling motor behavior and a developmental sequence of the functional interaction between speech-for-self and nonverbal operants was suggested.

Abstract

The developmental control of operant motor responding (tapping response) by the verbal operants "faster" and "slower" was examined with 54 kindergarten and 30 first grade children. The effects of the verbal operants on motor behavior were assessed under three conditions: E verbalized the verbal operants; S said the verbal operants to themselves aloud; S whispered the verbal operants using only lip movements (approximating a covert condition). The major finding was an interaction between age and mode of delivery in controlling motor behavior. Kindergarten children's motor performance approximated first grade children when self-verbalizations were overt, but covert self-instructions had minimal functional control over motor behavior. First-grade children's self-verbalizations had more functional control over motor behavior when covert than overt. The results suggested a developmental sequence of the functional interaction between speech-for-self and nonverbal operants.