[kuh
n-dish-uh-ning] 
| 1. | Also called operant conditioning, instrumental conditioning. a process of changing behavior by rewarding or punishing a subject each time an action is performed until the subject associates the action with pleasure or distress. |
| 2. | Also called classical conditioning, Pavlovian conditioning, respondent conditioning. a process in which a stimulus that was previously neutral, as the sound of a bell, comes to evoke a particular response, as salivation, by being repeatedly paired with another stimulus that normally evokes the response, as the taste of food. |
| operant conditioning n. Psychology A process of behavior modification in which the likelihood of a specific behavior is increased or decreased through positive or negative reinforcement each time the behavior is exhibited, so that the subject comes to associate the pleasure or displeasure of the reinforcement with the behavior. |
conditioning con·di·tion·ing (kən-dĭsh'ə-nĭng)
n.
A process of behavior modification by which a subject comes to associate a desired behavior with a previously unrelated stimulus.
operant conditioning n.
A process of behavior modification in which a subject is encouraged to behave in a desired manner through positive or negative reinforcement, so that the subject comes to associate the pleasure or displeasure of the reinforcement with the behavior.
| conditioning (kən-dĭsh'ə-nĭng) Pronunciation Key
See classical conditioning. |