A stimulus in the presence of which a particular response will be reinforced is known as:

• A. Discriminative Stimulus (SD)
• B. Arousal cue
• C. Motivating operation
• D. Punisher

Answer: (A)

A discriminative stimulus is the antecedent that signals reinforcement is available for a specific response. It sets the occasion for the behavior, so when this cue is present, the target response is more likely to occur because a reinforcer will follow. This is different from a motivating operation, which changes how valuable a reinforcer is, and from a punisher, which is a consequence that reduces behavior. An arousal cue isn’t the standard term used to describe signaling reinforcement. So the described stimulus is the discriminative stimulus.