Operant response rates remain highest when individuals anticipate that their behavior will actually lead to further reinforcement. this best illustrates the importance of in operant conditioning.

The correct answer is cognitive processes.

In operant conditioning, cognitive processes involve expectations and beliefs that people or animals have about whether or not their behaviors and actions will be rewarded (reinforced) or punished (to prevent reinforcement).For instance, if a child gets caught stealing a candy by his or her parent, he or she will have expectations that the behavior will likely be punished in some way rather than rewarded. 

Apart of the parietal lobe