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.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

February 22nd 2025

Gesellschaft

n. a type of society (the literal meaning of this German word) or social group in which people feel relatively isolated from each other. Their relationships are primarily contractual in nature, being guided chiefly by rational self-interest and the logic of the marketplace. Compare Gemeinschaft. [first described in 1887 by German sociologist Ferdinand Julius Tönnies (1855–1936)]