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24.3 Generic Extension Non-Example #1

An Introduction to Verbal Behavior (Standard) Lesson 24: Generic Extension 24.3 Generic Extension Non-Example #1

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Once a response has been reinforced in the presence of a stimulus, the process of extension is not required to explain the occurrence of the same response in the presence of that stimulus at some point in the future. Extension requires a novel stimulus; therefore, if the child sees the same chihuahua the next day and again says “dog,” that is not generic extension because the stimulus is no longer novel.

A boy and a dog in a cartoon with a speech bubble.

generic tact extension

NEXT DAY

NOT generic tact extension

Generic Extension

An instance of verbal behavior with the following features:

The response form must be a previously learned one

The stimulus must be novel

The novel stimulus must have all of the relevant features of the stimulus that previously controlled the response

The type of elementary verbal relationship between the stimulus and the response

Formal and dynamic characteristics of the response

Formal or dynamic characteristics of the stimulus

Whether or not the current response is followed by reinforcement