22.7 Stimulus Features of “Dog”

Let’s consider the tact “dog.” Dogs have several stimulus features, including canine teeth, four legs, claws on feet, tails, fur, barking, color, size, shape, and so on. Which of these features must be present before we would reinforce someone for saying “dog” on that occasion? For introductory purposes, it will be helpful for us to ignore strange examples or uncommon exceptions: for example, a Basenji doesn’t bark, but is still called a dog…but most dogs bark.