10/20/2026
βπ§ Daily BCBA Practice Question
A client eats a very salty lunch, and afterward requests water far more often than usual. Drinking water is also more reinforcing at that moment. Which term best describes the salty lunch in relation to water?
A. Discriminative stimulus (SD)
B. Establishing operation (EO)
C. Abolishing operation (AO)
D. Conditioned punisher
π Scroll for the answer π
Answer: B
An establishing operation momentarily increases the reinforcing effectiveness of a stimulus (water) and evokes behavior that has produced it in the past. An SD signals availability of reinforcement but does not change its value (Cooper et al., 3rd ed.).
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