25.6 Other Verbal Operants
What type of stimuli would result in metaphorical extension in the other elementary verbal relationships? In the echoic, the stimulus would have to have partial point-to-point correspondence. In textual behavior, the stimulus would either resemble letters or might consist of partially obscured letters. Unusual spellings or misspellings could also result in metaphorical extension. In intraverbal behavior, only part of the relevant aspects of a definition or description might be present. You might say “reinforcement,” for example, as a result of hearing about any stimulus change that follows a response.
Metaphorical Extension
An instance of verbal behavior with the following features:
The response form has been previously acquired
The stimulus must be novel
The novel stimulus has some, but not 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 both the stimulus and the response
Whether or not the current response is followed by reinforcement