Sleeping after a week of sleep deprivation is an example of which type of motivating operation?

Sleep deprivation creates a strong biological need that significantly increases the motivation to sleep. This scenario is best described as an unconditioned motivating operation (UMO), which refers to factors that have a naturally occurring effect on behavior.

Unconditioned motivating operations are stimuli that are naturally reinforcing or punishing, regardless of an individual’s learning history. In this case, lack of sleep leads to exhaustion and an urgent drive to recover that lost sleep. This desire to sleep is not learned or conditioned; it is based on a basic physiological need, aligning perfectly with the characteristics of an unconditioned motivating operation.

The other types of motivating operations—such as surrogate, reflexive, and transitive—are more complex and rely on learned associations and conditions. They do not apply to the immediate and innate response to sleep deprivation experienced here. Therefore, the response to the need for sleep following a week of deprivation fits best with the concept of an unconditioned motivating operation.