behavior

1. Any response emitted by or elicited from an organism. 2. Any mental or motor act or activity. 3. Specifically, parts of a total response pattern. [M.E., fr. O. Fr. avoir, to have]

- adaptive b. any b. that enables an organism to adjust to a particular situation or environment.

- appetitive b. movement of an organism toward a certain type of stimulus, such as food. Cf.:aversive b..

- aversive b. movement of an organism away from a certain type of stimulus, such as electric shock. Cf.:appetitive b..

- coronary-prone b. hostile b. that increases the risk of heart disease.

- health b. combination of knowledge, practices, and attitudes that together contribute to motivate the actions we take regarding health.

- hookean b. the b. of a perfectly elastic body; i.e., the strain is directly proportional to the stress. SEE ALSO: Hooke law.

- hostile b. b. that increases the risk of heart disease.

- molar b. in psychology, b. described in large response units rather than smaller ones. Cf.:molecular b..

- molecular b. in psychology, b. described in small response units rather than larger ones; a specific response. Cf.:molar b..

- obsessive b. the repetitive stylized b. seen in obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

- operant b. b. whose continuation and frequency is determined by its consequences on the doer; central element of behavioral conditioning theory. See conditioning.

- passive-aggressive b. apparently compliant b., with intrinsic obstructive or stubborn qualities, to cover deeply felt aggressive feelings that cannot be more directly expressed.

- respondent b. b. in response to a specific stimulus; usually associated with classical conditioning. See conditioning.

- ritualistic b. automatic b. of psychogenic or cultural origin.

- target b. 1. SYN: operant. 2. in b. modification therapy, the prescribed b..

- type A b. a b. pattern characterized by aggressiveness, ambitiousness, restlessness, and a strong sense of time urgency. New research has revealed that it is hostility, which can be commingled with other type A traits, that is associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease.

- type B b. a b. pattern characterized by the absence or obverse of type A b. characteristics.

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be·hav·ior or chiefly Brit be·hav·iour bi-'hā-vyər n

1) the manner of conducting oneself

2 a) anything that an organism does involving action and response to stimulation

b) the response of an individual, group, or species to its environment

be·hav·ior·al or chiefly Brit be·hav·iour·al -vyə-rəl adj

be·hav·ior·al·ly or chiefly Brit be·hav·iour·al·ly -rə-lē adv

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be·hav·ior (be-hāvґyər) deportment or conduct; any or all of a person's total activity, especially that which can be externally observed. behavioral adj