Operáns

Operáns is a term used in several scholarly contexts as a plural form referring to entities that perform or operate within a system. In English-language psychology and related fields, the equivalent term is operant, and operants are the behaviors that act on the environment to produce consequences.

In psychology, operants are voluntary behaviors that are strengthened or weakened by their consequences. The study of operants, known as operant conditioning, emphasizes how reinforcement (positive or negative) and punishment shape the frequency and form of behaviors over time. Procedures such as shaping, extinction, and reinforcement schedules are used to modify operant behavior in both experimental and applied settings.

In linguistics and philosophy, operants can denote participants that perform actions within a given event or proposition. Depending on the theoretical framework, an operant may align with the agent role, the instrumental role, or other action-bearing participants. The term is not universally used across all theories, and many frameworks prefer labels like agent, actor, or performer to describe these roles.

The term’s exact meaning and emphasis can vary by language and discipline. Across contexts, operants generally refer to entities that enact or initiate operations, in contrast to those that undergo effects or are acted upon (such as patients or themes). Related concepts include operands in mathematics and operands in computer science, as well as the broader notion of modus operandi in criminal and investigative contexts.

See also: operant conditioning, agent, patient, frame semantics, modus operandi.