Latency is defined as?

• A. The delay between a stimulus and the initiation of the target response
• B. The delay between a stimulus and reinforcement
• C. The duration of the response
• D. The time between successive trials

Answer: (A)

Latency measures the time from when a stimulus is presented to the moment the individual begins the target behavior. It captures how quickly the response is initiated after the antecedent is given. This is different from how long the response lasts (duration) and from the time between trials or from the stimulus to reinforcement. For example, if a teacher says "touch red" and the child starts touching red after 2 seconds, that 2-second interval is the latency.