January 6, 2016

January 6, 2016

Written by Maximus Peperkamp, M.S. Verbal Engineer

Dear Reader,

Sound Verbal Behavior (SVB) is an operant behavior, which means that it will increase due to its consequences. However, there must always be an antecedent stimulus which sets the stage for this response to occur. This stimulus is the sound of someone’s voice. And, you can only engage in SVB if someone else mediates it. Our verbal behavior is a social phenomenon. Although you can and should take time to sit by yourself to explore what it is like to listen to yourself while you speak, SVB only makes sense to the extent that you are reinforced for it by others. 

Your inability to share SVB with others is not due to you, but due to others.  If others don’t or can’t produce the sound which sets the stage for SVB, you will not be able to engage in it. If you talk with me, you will find that I provide the stimulus which will make SVB possible. However, I can only do this to the extent that you reciprocate my SVB. If you don’t reinforce my SVB, I can’t continue with it. We engage in SVB together or in NVB. In the former, we mutually enhance each other, but in the latter, we try to force and dominate each other. 

The SVB/NVB distinction is recognizable by how we sound while we speak. We sound different when we engage in SVB or NVB. Once we are listening to ourselves while we speak, we realize we agree on how we sound, that is, we all agree that in SVB the speaker sounds good, but in NVB the speaker sounds terrible. This unanimous agreement is most unusual. Moreover, it occurs at a nonverbal level, which sets the stage for agreement at a verbal level. Agreement in SVB is determined by the congruence between our verbal and our nonverbal expressions.