kooperant

Kooperant is a term used in some strands of behavioral science to describe an agent that participates in cooperative action within a shared task. The word blends ideas of cooperation with operant behavior, the latter referring to actions that an organism emits to obtain reinforcement. In this sense, a kooperant is contrasted with non-cooperative or competitive agents, and its reinforcement history can be shaped by the actions of others.

Usage and typology of the term vary, and it is not widely standardized. In operant conditioning frameworks, a kooperant’s reinforcement contingencies may depend on joint actions, mutual reinforcement, or social cues. In game theory and multi-agent systems, kooperants are those agents that seek to maximize collective payoff through collaboration, rather than pursuing purely selfish strategies. Some researchers also apply the term to humans or animals whose behavior adjusts in response to others’ cooperation levels or reputational cues.

Examples can occur in two-player coordination tasks where a joint action increases the likelihood of a desirable outcome for both participants, illustrating how a kooperant’s behavior supports shared reinforcement.

See also: cooperative behavior, operant conditioning, cooperative game theory, multi-agent reinforcement learning, social dilemmas.

Note: Because kooperant is not a universal or strictly defined term, its exact meaning may vary across studies, languages, or disciplinary contexts.