Concept Definition: Tact

Important characteristics of Skinner's (1957) definition a tact:

Illustrative Example/Nonexample Pair #1

(The response to be analyzed is in bold text.)

Nonexample

A young child says "circle" after hearing his dad say "balloon." His dad replies "Yes, you're right." As a result, the child is more likely to say the same thing under similar conditions in the future.

Example

A young child says "circle" while looking at a balloon. His dad replies "Yes, you're right." As a result, the child is more likely to say the same thing under similar conditions in the future.

Analysis

The first item is not an example of a tact. The speaker is the young child. He did something (said "circle") and his behavior produced a reinforcing consequence (confirmation). We classify the child's behavior as verbal because its reinforcing consequence was mediated by a listener (his dad). However, his behavior was likely under the control of a verbal SD (his father's auditory stimulus "balloon") rather than any particular nonverbal SD.

The second item is an example of a tact. Again, the speaker is the young child. He did something (said "circle") and his behavior produced a reinforcing consequence (confirmation). We classify the child's behavior as verbal because its reinforcing consequence was mediated by a listener (his dad). In this case, his behavior was likely under the control of a nonverbal SD (the visual stimulus of a balloon), the defining feature of a tact.