Final answer:
Operant conditioning involves a stimulus that elicits a behavior, a consequence that follows the behavior, and an eventual change in behavioral tendency due to the consequence.
Step-by-step explanation:
In operant conditioning, there are three essential conditions that must be present for the learning process to occur. Firstly, there must be a stimulus that triggers the behavior. Secondly, following the behavior, there must be a consequence, which can be either a reinforcer or a punisher. Lastly, this consequence then influences the likelihood that the behavior will occur again in the future, either increasing it (in the case of reinforcement) or decreasing it (with punishment). In summary, operant conditioning involves a behavior, a consequence for that behavior, and a change in behavioral tendency as a result of that consequence.