What verbal operant refers to asking for or requesting things, is under the control of an MO, and is maintained by specific reinforcement (i.e., the things the person is requesting)?

• A. Tact
• B. Mand
• C. Listener Response
• D. Intraverbal

Answer: (B)

The key idea is how verbal behavior is controlled by motivating operations and reinforced by the specific thing being requested. A mand is the verbal operant that functions to ask for or demand a desired item or outcome. When an MO makes that item desirable (for example, being hungry for a snack or wanting to play a game), the likelihood of emitting a mand increases. The reinforcement for a mand is the actual delivery of the requested reinforcer, so the form of the mand often directly names the item (like saying “cookie” to get a cookie). This direct, specific link between the request and its outcome is what makes the mand distinct.

Tacts are labels of objects or events and are reinforced by social or other generalized reinforcement. Listener responses are responses to another’s speech and involve behavior shaped by the speaker’s reinforcement. Intraverbals are verbal responses to a question or conversation with no direct point-to-point relation to the reinforcer. Those forms are not defined by requesting a specific item under the control of an MO, which is why the mand best fits the description.