In operant conditioning, what are the three components of the three-term contingency?

• A. Stimulus, Response, Reward
• B. Consequence, Antecedent, Behavior
• C. Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence
• D. Motivation, Action, Reinforcement

Answer: (C)

In operant conditioning, behavior is shaped by the relationship among what happens before the behavior, the behavior itself, and what happens after. This three-term contingency consists of the antecedent (the cue or situation that sets the occasion for the behavior), the behavior (the observable action the organism emits in response to the antecedent), and the consequence (what follows the behavior, which can reinforce or punish and thereby influence future likelihood of that behavior). When a desirable consequence follows a behavior, the behavior tends to occur more often; when an aversive or undesirable consequence follows, the behavior tends to occur less often. This sequence helps explain how cues trigger actions and how outcomes strengthen or weaken those actions. Other options mix or replace these elements in a way that doesn’t capture the same structure: substituting synonyms like stimulus, reward, and response shifts emphasis away from the specific three-term relationship; placing consequences before the antecedent changes the order and meaning; and using different terms altogether (like motivation, action, reinforcement) misses the precise ABC framework.