operant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In operant conditioning, the animal learns to associate a voluntary behavior with its consequences, whereas in classical conditioning, the animal learns to associate a non-voluntary behavior with an unusual stimulus.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Clive Wynne, founding director of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University, ascribed the talking dogs’ skills to operant conditioning rather than an understanding of the words they seem to use.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 6, 2021

In our case—other zoos may have better behaved ones—our gibbons are ridiculously smart, and they have not responded as well to the operant conditioning for training voluntary injections.

From Slate • Jul. 28, 2021

The Twittering Machine, as a wholly designed operant conditioning chamber, needs none of the expedients of the casino or opium den.

From The Guardian • Aug. 23, 2019

Verbal and operant responses of young children to vocal versus instrumental song performances.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin