The Generalization of Mands (Caio Miguel)

The ability to make requests, conceptually referred to as the mand relation, is a type of verbal operant whose response form is under control of a motivating operation (MO). It is the first verbal operant to be acquired, directly benefits the speaker, leads to the development of other behaviors, and may serve to replace problem behavior. Even though the topography of the mand is under the functional control of an MO, its occurrence is influenced by a multitude of variables functioning as discriminative stimuli (SDs). Thus, the generalization of mands can occur across both MOs and SDs. Additionally, the same MO may evoke new mand topographies—a form of response generalization. During this talk, I will describe these two types of mand generalizations as a way to influence future research and clinical practice, as well as how to promote them.