Which of the following is NOT a verbal operant?

Imitation is an important skill, but it is considered a behavior rather than a verbal operant. The three primary verbal operants recognized in behavioral analysis are mands, intraverbals, and listener responding.

Mands are requests or demands, where an individual communicates a need or desire. Intraverbals occur when a person's response is based on what someone else has said, allowing for conversational exchanges. Listener responding involves the individual's ability to follow directions or respond appropriately to verbal cues, showcasing comprehension and anticipation of the verbal behavior.

In contrast, imitation is focused on copying another person's actions or verbalizations, which while useful for learning, does not fit into the category of verbal operants because it does not involve functional communication in the same way the other operants do. It serves as a foundational skill that can support learning but operates differently than the communicative functions defined by the other options.