autoclitic

n. a unit of verbal behavior (a verbal operant) that depends on other verbal behavior and that alters its effect on a listener. For example, in saying “I think that is a cat,” the words I think serve as an autoclitic to indicate to the listener that the speaker is less than certain about the remaining verbal operants in the sentence. The is is also an autoclitic, indicating that the same stimulus is occasioning the words that and cat.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

agape

n. a complex form of love involving feelings of tenderness; protectiveness; self-denial; and aesthetic preference for the features, gestures, speech, and other traits of a person. The term, which derives from a Greek word meaning “brotherly love,” is sometimes used to denote an unselfish love as taught by such religious figures as Jesus and the Buddha.