Which of the following statements best captures the basic idea of operant conditioning? A. Behavior is shaped and maintained by its consequences.B. By pairing a neutral stimulus with a response-producing stimulus, the neutral stimulus can come to produce the same response.C. Mental processes play a critical role in the process of imitating the behavior of others.D. Behavior can only be understood by considering underlying mental processes.

Operant conditioning: In psychology, the term operant conditioning is also known as instrumental conditioning and is defined as a learning process that is being developed by one of the famous behaviorists and psychologists named B. F. Skinner.

In operant conditioning, the learning process occurs by giving punishment and reward for a particular behavior as well as an association is being made between a particular behavior and the consequence related to that behavior

Four concepts are being included in the process of operant conditioning including negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement, negative punishment, and positive punishment.