Which term describes behavior that is selected, maintained, and brought under stimulus control as a function of its consequences?

• A. Respondent behavior
• B. Operant behavior
• C. Classical conditioning
• D. Overt behavior

Answer: (B)

Behavior that is selected, maintained, and brought under stimulus control by its consequences is operant behavior. In this framework, consequences serve as reinforcers or punishers that make the behavior more or less likely to occur in the future, and discriminative stimuli signal when a particular consequence is available, shaping when the behavior happens. Respondent behavior is a reflex-like response elicited by antecedent stimuli and is not controlled by consequences the same way. Classical conditioning describes how a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a reflex through pairing, not how voluntary behavior is governed by its consequences. Overt behavior simply means observable action, without specifying how it is controlled by consequences or stimulus cues.