What term best describes a stimulus that is present to increase the likelihood of a specific behavior occurring?

The term that best describes a stimulus that is present to increase the likelihood of a specific behavior occurring is a discriminative stimulus. This type of stimulus signals the availability of reinforcement contingent upon a specific behavior. For example, if a therapist uses a particular song that the client enjoys, that song acts as a discriminative stimulus indicating to the client that engaging in a specific behavior, like singing along or moving to the music, will lead to positive reinforcement, such as praise or another preferred activity.

In behavioral terms, discriminative stimuli set the occasion for a behavior to be performed because they have been historically associated with reinforcement. This connection encourages the individual to exhibit the desired behavior when the discriminative stimulus is present.

Understanding this concept is essential for music therapists, as they often structure their interventions around such stimuli to promote desired behaviors, enhance engagement, and facilitate therapeutic goals.