The Verbal Action of the Listener as a Basis for Rule-Governance

Abstract

(from the preface) The rubric for much of this work has been an interest in rule-governed behavior. Rule-governed behavior in this sense does not refer to general strategies of performance that can be stated in rule form. Rather, it is behavior that is directly impacted by verbal formulae. What that means, how to conceptualize it, how to study it, how it fits in with other psychological processes, what it means for clinical interventions with adult humans--these are the topics dealt with in this volume. /// The present volume spans a wide variety of topics and perspectives. /// The first four chapters, then, give a view of current behavioral theory and research on rule-governance and place this work into a larger historical and intellectual context. The four chapters that follow are more speculative and theoretical. /// The final two chapters deal with the implications of rule-governance for applied psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).