Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) Practice Exam

In operant conditioning, what is the term for a cue that signals the availability of a reinforcer?

1. Discriminative Stimulus

2. Displacement Story

3. Dominant Story

4. Disengagement

The correct answer is: Discriminative Stimulus

A cue that signals the availability of a reinforcer in operant conditioning is known as a discriminative stimulus. This term refers to a specific stimulus that provides information about whether a particular behavior will be reinforced or not. For example, if a light is on when a lever is pressed, the light serves as a discriminative stimulus, indicating to the subject that pressing the lever will result in a reward, such as food. Understanding this concept is crucial because it helps differentiate behaviors based on environmental cues, which is foundational in both behavioral therapy and learning theory. The presence of the discriminative stimulus increases the likelihood that the desired behavior will occur, making it a key element in shaping and controlling behavior through reinforcement. The other options do not pertain to the concepts of operant conditioning and reinforcement in the same way. Displacement story, dominant story, and disengagement do not relate to the mechanism of how cues function in the reinforcement process.