Recent empirical evidence suggests a facilitating role of verbal variables on cultural
selection. However, most of the data are still inconclusive or do not demonstrate the isolated
effects of the direct manipulation of verbal variables, functioning as operant and cultural
consequences, on the selection of culturants. In this sense, the objective of this study was to
compare the differential effects of cultural and operant verbal consequences on the selection
and maintenance of culturants, in the presence and absence of nonverbal cultural
consequences in two laboratory microcultures using an analog of single subject ABCBCA
experimental design. The results showed that the verbal operant consequences are inefficient
in cultural selection once compared to the cultural consequences. When cultural, the
difference in effect between verbal and non-verbal consequences is low. When cultural verbal
and non-verbal consequences are combined, cultural selection is more effective.
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