Automatic Thoughts are ideas triggered by a particular event that lead to emotional reactions.

• A. Automatic Thoughts
• B. Cognitive Homework
• C. Cognitive Errors
• D. Arbitrary Inferences

Answer: (A)

Automatic thoughts are rapid, involuntary interpretations that arise in response to an event and directly influence your emotional reaction. They pop up in the moment, often without conscious planning, shaping how you feel about what happened. In cognitive-behavioral therapy, recognizing these quick thoughts helps you see the link between event, thought, and emotion so you can examine and adjust them. For example, after a friend cancels plans, an automatic thought might be “They don’t value me,” which can trigger hurt or anger. Cognitive homework refers to the practice tasks used to monitor and test these thoughts; cognitive errors are specific faulty patterns in thinking; arbitrary inferences are conclusions drawn without sufficient evidence. The described idea matches automatic thoughts.