Which type of verbal behavior is controlled primarily by an immediately prior nonverbal stimulus?

The type of verbal behavior that is controlled primarily by an immediately prior nonverbal stimulus is a tact. A tact occurs when a person uses language to label or describe something in their environment. It is a form of verbal behavior where the individual is responding to a specific nonverbal cue – for example, seeing a dog and saying "dog." The stimulus in this case is the presence of the dog, which evokes the verbal response.

In contrast, a mand is a type of verbal behavior that is controlled by a motivation or desire, leading an individual to make a request. An echoic involves repeating what someone else has said, typically correlating to verbal rather than nonverbal stimuli. An intraverbal involves conversation or responding to questions, where the control does not rely on an immediate nonverbal stimulus but rather on other verbal cues. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify the unique function and response pattern associated with each type of verbal behavior.