Which triad is commonly described to explain learning in behaviorist theory?

• A. Antecedents, Behavior, Consequence
• B. Stimulus, Response, Reinforcement
• C. Input, Processing, Output
• D. Motivation, Action, Reward

Answer: (A)

In behaviorist learning, progress is explained by how the environment shapes actions through a sequence of events: something in the environment sets the occasion for a response (an antecedent cue), the actual action occurs (the behavior), and what happens after the action (the consequence) changes how likely that action is to occur again. This ABC pattern—Antecedents, Behavior, Consequence—captures how learning happens when outcomes reinforce or punish behaviors. By altering either the Antecedent conditions or the Consequence, you can increase or decrease the frequency of the behavior, which is the central idea behind operant conditioning.