Someone tells you the name of a good restaurant and you write it down; that is taking dictation. In Skinner’s analysis, taking shorthand (see bottom of page) is not called taking dictation, however, because it lacks the necessary point-to-point correspondence.
A form of verbal behavior with the following features:
The form of the response is writing
The controlling variable is a response product of someone’s prior vocal behavior
There is point-to-point correspondence between the stimulus and the response
Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to longhand, a more common method of writing a language.