"All-Purpose Responses" (APR) in Verbal Behaviour

Abstract

In the word-association paradigm a response given by a subject to two or more different stimuli was defined as an "all-purpose response" (APR) on the individual level. A response having" high-frequency of occurrence to two or more stimuli in word-association norms was defined as an APR on the normative level. The different APR's of a subject are grouped in his APR-class. On the basis of analysis of these concepts it was hypothesized that: (1) The availability of APR's to many different stimuli reduces their specific associative bonds, and (2) APR's are used when, because of undifferentiated response hierarchies, the word-association task is especially difficult for the individual. Both hypotheses were confirmed by the data. Some situational and linguistic factors determining APR's are discussed.