Which statement about CMOs is true according to the material?

• A. All CMOs are motivationally neutral prior to their relation with another MO or stimulus
• B. CMOs are always unconditioned
• C. CMOs never affect motivation
• D. CMOs always produce punishment

Answer: (A)

CMOs gain their motivational value through learning; they are not inherently influential before they’re paired with another MO or a relevant stimulus. That initial neutrality is what defines a conditioned motivating operation. Once a learning history links the CMO to a particular reinforcer or consequence, it changes the value of that consequence or the likelihood that a behavior will lead to it, thereby altering motivation. For example, a neutral cue can come to evoke or suppress certain responses after it’s been associated with deprivation or reinforcement, making it a powerful cue only after that relationship is learned. The other statements imply that CMOs are always unconditioned, never affect motivation, or always produce punishment, which contradicts how CMOs function once their learned relation to reinforcers is established.