Which of the following is NOT a functional class of verbal behavior?

• A. Escape
• B. Echoic
• C. Mand
• D. Intraverbal

Answer: (A)

Verbal operants are categories of language defined by how the response is reinforced by another person. The items listed are classic verbal operants: echoic involves repeating something heard, mand is a request for a reinforcer, and intraverbal involves answering questions or engaging in conversation based on verbal stimuli without direct imitation. Escape, by contrast, describes the function a behavior serves—getting away from an aversive situation—not a distinct form of verbal behavior itself. Language can be used to terminate or avoid something, but “escape” isn’t a labeled verbal operant like the others.