Sally's response 'It is 3 o'clock' to 'Do you know the time?' is an example of which verbal operant?

• A. Intraverbal
• B. Echoic
• C. Mand
• D. Tact

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how verbal operants are controlled by the type of antecedent and the function of the response. An intraverbal is a verbal behavior evoked by a verbal stimulus where the response does not have to imitate the exact words of the prompt. In this scenario, the prompt is a question about the time, and the answer supplies relevant information in a conversational way without repeating the exact words of the question. It’s not echoing what was said, so it’s not an echoic. It’s not labeling a present stimulus in the environment, so it’s not a tact. And it isn’t a request for something, so it isn’t a mand. Therefore, this response illustrates an intraverbal.