On Response Strength and the Concept of Response Classes

Verbal-Like Effects of Nonverbal Stimuli

Stimuli produced by verbal responses (verbal stimuli) usually reveal something about the speakers who emitted them and about the environment where the verbal responses occurred (i.e., verbal stimuli can evoke in the listeners responses concerning the speakers and their environments). Verbal stimuli can also constitute supplementary stimulation that evokes responses which are already strong in the repertoire of some listeners or readers. Stimuli not produced by verbal responses (nonverbal stimuli), topographically similar to verbal stimuli, cannot reveal anything about speakers and their environments, but some of them can evoke responses that are already strong in the repertoire of some listeners or readers. Therefore, nonverbal stimuli allow one to distinguish clearly between the two functions of verbal stimuli. This article adopts a Skinnerian perspective and explores the implications of the supplementary function of stimuli for what is usually called understanding (and misunderstanding). Even when verbal stimuli are misunderstood, they can evoke verbal or nonverbal responses that are useful to the listeners. This effect can play a major role when it comes to aesthetic responses made to literary works, for example. Implications of the supplementary function of verbal stimuli for translations of ancient texts are also discussed. As supplementary stimulation, verbal stimuli can produce notable effects on the behavior of listeners and readers (even when the stimuli are misunderstood), although traditional mentalistic approaches to verbal behavior tend to neglect them.