What is the process of cognition according to Beck?

• A. Stimulus — Response — Organism.
• B. Organism — Stimulus — Response.
• C. Response — Stimulus — Organism.
• D. Stimulus — Organism (Appraises) — Response.

Answer: (D)

Beck’s model shows that responses to events are shaped by how the person interprets or appraises what happened. A trigger in the environment occurs (stimulus), the mind actively evaluates and interprets it through beliefs, schemas, and automatic thoughts (the organism’s appraisal), and that interpretation then drives the emotional and behavioral reaction (response). This cognitive mediation explains why the same event can lead to different outcomes for different people.

For example, a coworker’s comment might be appraised as genuine praise or as snide sarcasm, leading to calm engagement or avoidance, respectively. This illustrates why the sequence with the appraisal step between stimulus and response best fits Beck’s theory. Without that appraisal, the model would imply a direct S-R link that doesn’t account for varying interpretations.