conditioning

American  

[kuhn-dish-uh-ning] / kənˈdɪʃ ə nɪŋ /

noun

Psychology.

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.

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conditioning Scientific  

/ kən-dĭsh′ə-nĭng /

1. See classical conditioning

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Other Word Forms

• self-conditioning adjective

Etymology

Origin of conditioning

First recorded in 1915–20; condition + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

"We do not use air conditioning, and this year we did not use the boiler," she said as she held a placard that read "electricity service is a right".

From Barron's

Players can take a three-minute timeout for physical injuries or illness but not for cramping, which is regarded as a conditioning problem rather than a medical issue.

From BBC

Players can take a three-minute medical timeout for physical injuries or illness but not for cramping, as it is seen as a conditioning problem rather than a physical injury.

From BBC

The two friends were also part of Joshua's team, with Ghami his strength and conditioning coach and Ayodele his personal trainer.

From BBC

Demand for cooling will "drastically" increase in giant countries like Brazil, Indonesia and Nigeria, where hundreds of millions of people lack air conditioning or other means of beating the heat.

From Barron's

Related Words

• assignment
• discipline
• drilling
• homework
• preparation
• repetition
• training
• tryout
• workout