Thirteen-year-old Lucy only asks her dad if she can play video games; her dad always says yes, whereas her mom always says no. What BEST describes the role that Lucy's dad plays in this contingency?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Lucy's dad acts as a discriminative stimulus because his presence indicates to Lucy that asking to play video games will likely result in a positive outcome (getting to play the games), thus she chooses to ask him rather than her mom. A discriminative stimulus signals when a particular response will lead to a certain reinforcement.

Thirteen-Year-Old Lucy Only Asks Her Dad If She Can Play