What does operant mean?

Definitions for operant
ˈɒp ər əntop·er·ant

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word operant.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. operantadjective

    having influence or producing an effect

    "many emotional determinants at work"; "an operant conscience"

Wiktionary

  1. operantnoun

    An operative person or thing.

  2. operantnoun

    A class of behavior that produces consequences by operating (i.e., acting) upon the environment.

  3. operantadjective

    That operates to produce an effect.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Operantadjective

    Active; having power to produce any effect. A word not in use.

    Etymology: operant, French.

    Earth, yield me roots!
    Who seeks far better of thee, sauce his palate
    With thy most operant poison! William Shakespeare, Tim. of Athens.

    I must leave thee, love, and shortly too;
    My operant powers their functions leave to do. William Shakespeare.

Wikipedia

  1. operant

    Operant conditioning, also called instrumental conditioning, is a learning process where behaviors are modified through the association of stimuli with reinforcement or punishment. In it, operants—behaviors that affect one's environment—are conditioned to occur or not occur depending on the environmental consequences of the behavior. Operant conditioning originated in the work of Edward Thorndike, whose law of effect theorised that behaviors arise as a result of whether their consequences are satisfying or discomforting. In the 20th century, operant conditioning was studied by behaviorist psychologists, who believed that much, if not all, of mind and behaviour can be explained as a result of envirionmental conditioning. Reinforcements are environmental stimuli that increase behaviors, whereas punishments are stimuli that decrease behaviors. Both kinds of stimuli can be further categorised into positive and negative stimuli, which respectively involve the addition or removal of environmental stimuli. Operant conditioning differs from classical conditioning, which is a process where stimuli are paired with biologically significant events to produce involuntary and reflexive behaviors. In contrast, operant conditioning is voluntary and depends on the consequences of a behavior. The study of animal learning in the 20th century was dominated by the analysis of these two sorts of learning, and they are still at the core of behavior analysis. They have also been applied to the study of social psychology, helping to clarify certain phenomena such as the false consensus effect.

ChatGPT

  1. operant

    Operant refers to an active behavior that leads to a particular outcome or consequence. It is a term used in psychology, specifically in operant conditioning theory, where learning occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. An operant response is a behavior that is modifiable by its consequences.

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for operant »

  1. pronate

  2. Protean

  3. protean

  4. tropane

How to pronounce operant?

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of operant in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of operant in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for operant

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"operant." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 Dec. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/operant>.

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