Which statement describes the sequence of cognitive appraisal and response in Beck's model?

• A. It describes the sequence of cognitive appraisal of stimuli.
• B. It prescribes medication adjustment.
• C. It refers to behavioral reinforcement schedules.
• D. It is a form of dream analysis.

Answer: (A)

Beck's model centers on how we interpret what happens around us. When an activating event occurs, we appraise it through our existing beliefs and schemas, producing automatic thoughts about what the event means. Those thoughts then generate our emotional response and subsequent behavior. So the sequence is: appraisal of the stimulus leading to feelings and actions. This is the hallmark of the model—our interpretations drive our reactions, not the event itself.

In therapy, the aim is to identify those automatic cognitions, examine the evidence for and against them, and adjust them to change how we feel and behave. The other options don’t fit this framework: changing medication is pharmacotherapy, reinforcement schedules come from behaviorist learning theories, and dream analysis is associated with psychoanalytic approaches.