1. What the Autoclitic is and What the Autoclitic is Not
Mark L. Sundberg (

2. What the Autoclitic Is
In the autoclitic relation “Part of the behavior of an organism becomes in turn one of the variables controlling another part. There are at least two systems of responses, one based upon the other. The upper level can only be understood in terms of its relation to the lower level” (Skinner, 1957, p. 313).

3. What the Autoclitic Is
A theme throughout Verbal Behavior is that a speaker can, and often does, function as his or her own listener.
“Converting the speaker into an interested bystander is certainly the direction in which an analysis of behavior will first move” (p. 311).

4. What the Autoclitic Is
The term ‘autoclitic’ is intended to suggest (verbal) behavior which is based upon or depends upon other verbal behavior” (Skinner, 1957, p. 315).
In common sense terms the autoclitic is verbal behavior about a speaker’s own verbal behavior.

5. What the Autoclitic Is
“Autoclitic behavior is concerned with practical action or with responses on the part of the listener” (p. 344).
Autoclitic behavior increases the probability that the listener will behave appropriately.

6. What the Autoclitic Is
There are always two related, but separate three-term contingencies to analyze in autoclitic relations.
Skinner identified these two levels of verbal behavior as a “standard relation” and “an autoclitic relation.”

7. What the Autoclitic Is
Michael (1992) suggested that these two levels of verbal behavior be identified as primary verbal operants (standard relation) and secondary verbal operants (autoclitic relations).

8. What the Autoclitic Is The primary verbal operants are Mand Tact
Echoic (Copying a text)
Intraverbal
Textual
Transcription

9. A Primary Tact
Nonverbal SD “Mommy” Social reinforcement

10. The Autoclitic Tact
Peterson (1978) suggested that secondary verbal behavior be identified (or sub divided) as either “autoclitic tacts” or “autoclitic mands” depending on the source of control relevant to the specific autoclitic to be analyzed.

11. The Autoclitic Tact
The autoclitic tact “informs the listener” with respect to some nonverbal aspect of the primary response (including its controlling variables) and is therefore controlled by nonverbal stimuli.

12. The Autoclitic Tact Autoclitic tact
Child tacts the controlling variables of his own verbal behavior
“I see”
Child tacts that it is visual SD of Mommy is the source of control for the primary tact “Mommy”

13. The Autoclitic Tact “I think”
Child tacts weakness of the nonverbal source of control and its relation to the primary tact “Mommy.”

14. The Autoclitic Tact “I hear”
Child tacts that it is an auditory SD of Mommy that is the source of control for the primary tact “Mommy”

15. The Autoclitic Tact
“I see Mommy” may contain the autoclitic tact “I see” if there are indeed two levels of responding, and the second level of verbal behavior is controlled by nonverbal stimuli related to the primary verbal operant.

16. The Autoclitic Tact
Autoclitic responding is shaped by listeners in several ways. For example, if a father is wrapping a gift for his child’s mother, and the child nearby say’s, “mommy,” the father may mand to the child to identify the source of control for the response, “mommy” as in, “Did you see her?”

17. The Autoclitic Tact
The father may differentially respond to “I see” indicating that clearly “mommy” is a tact and the gift should be hidden, rather than just a mand for mommy, in which case it is okay to keep wrapping the gift.

18. The Autoclitic Tact
It could also be that the source of control for the response “mommy” is the gift, as in “That is for Mommy. The autoclitic “That is for” informs the listener that the exact source of nonverbal control for the primary tact “mommy” is the gift, and the father can continue wrapping.

19. The Autoclitic Tact
“An autoclitic affects the listener by indicating either a property of the speaker’s behavior or the circumstances responsible for that property” (p. 329).

20. The Autoclitic Mand
The autoclitic mand “enjoins the listener” to behave is some way with respect to the primary response and is controlled by MOs.

21. The Autoclitic Mand
Autoclitic mands occur frequently to manipulate listener behavior in ways reinforcing to a particular speaker.
In the autoclitic mand there is some specific MO that is controlling the secondary response.

22. The Autoclitic Mand
The response “I see Mommy” may contain an autoclitic mand if “I see” is not controlled by an SD related to a tact of the visual stimulus of mommy, but by an MO such as the same MO that might control the response “hurry up.”

23. The Autoclitic Mand
Autoclitic mands are ubiquitous, but since the sources of control are private it is difficult for a listener to tact the fact that MOs are controlling the verbal behavior.

24. The Autoclitic Mand
“Hidden agendas” often revel themselves to a careful observer who identifies the autoclitic mands that may accompany primary verbal behavior.

25. The Autoclitic Mand
For example, a primary intraverbal such as an answer to a question about the sales of a particular product may contain an autoclitic mand such as “I’m sure you will be pleased with the sales” where “I’m sure you will be pleased” is controlled by the same MO that might control the response “Don’t ask me for any details about the sales.”

26. The Autoclitic
The distinction between what is, and what is not autoclitic behavior, is often difficult, but cannot be made on the basis of the response form alone (a major theme in the analysis of all verbal behavior).

27. The Autoclitic
Skinner also presents several additional types of autoclitics (e.g., manipulative, relational, quantifying, and qualifying), and analyzes hundreds of different examples. It is beyond the scope of the current presentation to describe each type, or attempt to present the topics analyzed such as syntax and grammar.

28. What the Autoclitic is Not
The response “I see” may not be autoclitic at all if it is actually a primary response acquired as a unit, as in “I see mommy.”

29. A Primary Tact
Nonverbal SD “Mommy” Social reinforcement

30. A Primary Tact
Nonverbal SD “I see Mommy” Social reinf.

31. What the Autoclitic is Not
The speaker may not be tacting that fact that they are, for example, seeing vs. hearing the nonverbal source of stimulus control, but emitting the whole response as a primary tact without any autoclitic activity.

32. What the Autoclitic is Not
Skinner lists hundreds of examples of responses that could be autoclitic in Chapters 12, 13, 14. However, functional relations of any type cannot be identified by form alone. It is very easy to miss read all of these examples as autoclitics. Skinner is assuming the appropriate autoclitic controlling variables are present.

33. What the Autoclitic is Not
Examples of form without function from the autoclitic chapters.
Another group of autoclitics describe the state of strength of a response. I guess, I estimate, I believe, I imagine and I surmise (p. 315).

34. What the Autoclitic is Not
Another group of autoclitics...are I agree, I confess, I expect, I concede, I infer, I predict, I dare say, I must say, I can say, I admit, I reply, I should say, and I mean to say (p. 316).

35. Autoclitics and Language Intervention
Early language learners do not emit much autoclitic behavior. Skinner is clear on this point: “It is only when verbal operants of the sort discussed in Part II (i.e., the elementary verbal operants) have been established in strength that the speaker finds himself subject to the additional contingencies which establish autoclitic behavior” (p. 330). Thus, autoclitic training should probably not be a part of an early language intervention program.

36. Thank You! For an electronic version of this presentation visit:
marksundberg.com/ABAI 36