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behavior

Definition of Behavior

(noun) How an individual or group acts or conducts themselves when interacting with another individual, group, or event.

Examples of Behavior

Behavior Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: be·hav·ior

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /bi-hAY-vyuhr/
  • British English – /bi-hAY-vyuh/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /bɪˈheɪvjər/
  • British English – /bɪˈheɪvɪə/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: behaviors
  • Behaviorism (behaviourism) is the systematic study of behavior in animals and humans.
  • People are socialized in acceptable behavior through positive and negative sanctions.
  • A type of attribute.
  • Type: collective behavior
  • Variant spelling: behaviour
  • A (noun) behaviorist (behaviourist) or (noun) behavioralist (behaviouralist) (adverb) behavioristically (behaviouristically) studies (adjective) behavioristic (behaviouristic) or (adjective) behavioristorical (behaviouristorical) ways people (verb) behave.

Related Quotations

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Additional Information

Related Terms


References

Kendall, Diana. 2006. Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Spradley, James P., and David W. McCurdy. 2008. Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology. Boston: Pearson Education.

Tarrant, Shira. 2009. Men and Feminism. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.

Works Consulted

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 5th ed. 2011. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged. 6th ed. 2003. Glasgow, Scotland: Collins.

Encyclopædia Britannica. (N.d.) Britannica Digital Learning. (https://britannicalearn.com/).

Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Princeton University. 2010. WordNet. (https://wordnet.princeton.edu/).

Random House Webster’s College Dictionary. 1997. New York: Random House.

Ravelli, Bruce, and Michelle Webber. 2016. Exploring Sociology: A Canadian Perspective. 3rd ed. Toronto: Pearson.

Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/).

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).

Cite the Definition of Behavior

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “behavior.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 19, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/behavior/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

behavior. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/behavior/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “behavior.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/behavior/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“behavior.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/behavior/>.