A scenario where a child says "ball" in response to "say ball" demonstrates which skill?

The scenario describes a situation where a child responds verbally to a specific instruction ("say ball") by saying the word "ball." This showcases the echoic skill, which involves repeating what someone else has said.

In echoics, the individual's response is closely tied to the verbal prompt they received. The child is directly mimicking the prompt, demonstrating their ability to imitate sounds or words accurately. This skill is foundational in developing language and communication for children, especially in early learning and behavior analysis contexts.

Other verbal operants, such as mands (requests), tacts (labeling), or intraverbals (conversational responses), are not applicable in this instance because they involve different types of verbal behavior. Mands relate to requests for something the speaker wants, tacts involve naming or identifying items in the environment, and intraverbals refer to conversational exchanges where the response is not a direct echo of a prompt but rather a reply based on prior conversation or context.