contingency

n. a conditional, probabilistic relation between two events. When the probability of Event B given Event A is 1.0, a perfect positive contingency is said to exist. When Event A predicts with certainty the absence of Event B, a perfect negative contingency is said to exist. Probabilities between –1.0 and 1.0 define a continuum from negative to positive contingencies, with a probability of zero indicating no contingency. Contingencies may be arranged via dependencies or they may emerge by accident (see accidental reinforcement). See also law of contiguity; reinforcement contingency.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

Labor Management Relations Act

a series of amendments to the National Labor Relations Act that were passed in 1947 to adjust the power balance between unions and employers in the United States, the previous system being regarded as too restrictive of management. The act identified and prohibited certain unfair labor practices of both unions and employers, created the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to aid in resolution of disputes, and provided a mechanism for dealing with strikes that create a national emergency. Sponsored by U.S. lawyer and politician Robert Alphonso Taft (1889–1953) and U.S. politician Fred Allan Hartley Jr. (1902–1969), it is also known as the Taft–Hartley Act.