In operant conditioning, which term refers to signals that trigger the dog to perform a chosen behavior?

• A. Cues/Commands.
• B. Consequence.
• C. Reinforcement.
• D. Extinction.

Answer: (A)

In operant conditioning, signals that tell the dog which action to perform are cues or commands. These are antecedent prompts the dog learns to associate with reinforcement, so hearing a cue like “sit” prompts the dog to perform the behavior. When the behavior is followed by reinforcement, the response is strengthened and more likely to occur again. The other terms describe what happens after the behavior: a consequence is the outcome that follows, reinforcement is the process that increases the likelihood of the behavior by providing a reward or removing an aversive, and extinction is when reinforcement stops and the behavior fades. So the signals that trigger the dog to perform a chosen behavior are cues/commands.