Which term describes what the RBT is supposed to say, do, and/or present as the instruction to initiate the skill or set the occasion for spontaneous performance?

• A. Relevant SDs
• B. Baseline
• C. Modification plan
• D. Protocol purpose & rationale

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is the discriminative stimulus, or SD—the cue the instructor presents to tell the learner what to do and to set the occasion for the behavior to occur. When we talk about “relevant SDs,” we mean the specific cues that have been learned to signal reinforcement for the target skill in this learner’s environment. The RBT’s job is to say or show those cues (or arrange them) so the learner knows it’s time to perform the skill or respond spontaneously.

So this option is best because it directly references the cues that initiate the behavior and set the stage for performance, grounded in the learner’s reinforced history with those cues.

Baseline refers to the initial measurement of behavior before intervention; it’s about data collection, not signaling the behavior. Modification plan describes changes to treatment, not the cue that starts the skill. Protocol purpose & rationale explains why a protocol exists, not the immediate cue used to elicit the response.