operant

n. a class of responses that produces a common effect on the environment. An operant is defined by its effect rather than by the particular type of behavior producing that effect. A distinction may be made between the behavior required to achieve the effect and those alternative forms of behavior that constitute the class and may also occur. In the former, the class might include all forms of behavior that result in a lever being moved 4 mm downward (see descriptive operant). In the latter case, the class includes all forms of behavior that become more probable; for example, a rat’s two-handed lever presses might increase in probability, but one-handed presses might not (see functional operant). Compare respondent.

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Psychology term of the day

January 19th 2025

short-wavelength pigment

the photopigment present in one of the three populations of retinal cones that has maximum sensitivity to a wavelength of 419 nm. The absence of the gene for the short-wavelength pigment causes tritanopia, a form of color blindness in which blue and green are confused with one another. See also long-wavelength pigment; medium-wavelength pigment.