Garth has been taught to say "hello" whenever he encounters a staff member on his way to the cafeteria. In order to help Garth perform this behavior, staff members wave their hand when they see him enter the cafeteria. Hand waving is an example of a(n):
A) cognitive mediator.
B) discriminative stimuli.
C) isolated behavior.
D) contextual variation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hand waving serves as a discriminative stimulus, signaling to Garth that the behavior of saying "hello" will be reinforced in this context. It indicates when a specific response (saying "hello") will lead to a positive outcome, thus encouraging Garth to perform the behavior upon seeing the hand wave.

Garth Has Been Taught to Say "Hello" Whenever He Encounters