Mand
Mand Control (i.e., Requesting)
The mand primarily benefits the speaker by extending their control of the environment. For instance, yelling Fire! allows the listener to respond (e.g., extinguish or evacuate) in a way that reinforces the speaker. To assess mand control, ensure the target item is not present, and that access to it is restricted. Neither the name of the item, nor anything about the item is stated by the assessor.
Objective: To assess the extent to which restricted access to reinforcers control the speaker’s verbal behavior.
Materials: Items employed in tact assessment.
Method: Multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessment.
Intertrial Interval: 20 to 30-sec
R/O: tact, echoic, and sequelic function
Environmental Relations:
✓ - Restricted Access ✗ - Object Present ✗ - Fill-in-the-blank ✗ - Imitative Stimulus
Reinforcer:
✓ - Object ✗ - Generalized
Procedures:
Allow participant access to all preferred objects.
Once an object has been selected, remove all other objects.
Restrict access to the target object, remove from sight, and ask: “What do you want?”
Reinforce responding
Referent object (FR-1)
or
Attending (VR-2)
Replace remaining objects.
Remove targeted object from assessment environment and ask participant to select another item.