Final answer:
The verbal operant demonstrated when a student asks for a crayon and receives it from the teacher is called a mand. This is an example of operant conditioning where the student's behavior is reinforced by the satisfaction of a need.
Step-by-step explanation:
The scenario where a student does not have a crayon, asks for a crayon, and then receives one from the teacher involves a specific type of verbal operant called a mand. In operant conditioning, a mand is a type of verbal behavior that is reinforced through the fulfillment of a request.
When the student asks for the crayon, they are emitting a behavior that has a specific reinforcement, which in this case is receiving the crayon. This form of communication is directly beneficial to the student because it leads to the satisfaction of an immediate need or desire.
B.F. Skinner, the psychologist who defined these concepts, categorized verbal operants into several types, including mands, tacts, intraverbals, and echoics.
The mand is unique among verbal operants because it is under the control of a particular state of deprivation or aversive stimulation and is reinforced by a corresponding reduction or removal of the state—essentially, it's a request or a demand that leads to a direct and specific reinforcement.
In educational settings, understanding and utilizing the principles of operant conditioning, such as providing reinforcements for verbal behavior like asking for materials, can be an effective teaching strategy.