Multiple control refers to the phenomenon where a single verbal response is influenced by more than one antecedent condition or controlling variable. This can include a combination of motivating operations, discriminative stimuli, and other contextual factors that jointly affect the likelihood of a verbal response.

2. **Types of Multiple Control**:

– **Convergent Multiple Control**: This occurs when multiple stimuli or conditions converge to evoke a single verbal response. For instance, the word “water” might be evoked by seeing a glass of water (discriminative stimulus) and feeling thirsty (motivating operation).

– **Divergent Multiple Control**: This involves a single stimulus influencing multiple verbal responses. For example, the sight of a dog might lead to various verbal responses such as “dog,” “cute,” or “barking,” depending on the context and prior learning history.

3. **Implications for Verbal Behavior**:

– Understanding multiple control is essential for analyzing complex verbal behavior as it highlights how communication is often not a simple one-to-one correspondence between stimuli and responses. It acknowledges the dynamic interplay of various factors that shape verbal interactions.

4. **Applications in ABA**:

– In practice, recognizing the role of multiple control helps practitioners design more effective interventions for enhancing communication skills. By identifying and manipulating the controlling variables, practitioners can better support individuals in developing functional and adaptive verbal behavior.

5. **Examples in Real-Life Contexts**:

– In educational settings, teachers might use visual aids (discriminative stimuli) along with verbal prompts (additional stimuli) to evoke specific responses from students, demonstrating convergent multiple control.

Reference

Skinner, B. F. (1957). *Verbal Behavior*. Copley Publishing Group.

In this seminal work, Skinner explores the nature of verbal behavior, including the role of multiple control, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding how language functions as behavior influenced by various environmental variables. This text is foundational for those studying verbal behavior within the field of ABA.

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