stimuli

UK/ˈstɪm.jʊˌlaɪ̯/US/ˈstɪm.jəˌlaɪ̯/

nounC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #9,372 of 15,258leans written

Stimuli are the things that provoke a reaction. External stimuli, respond to stimuli, visual stimuli.

It is the plural of stimulus and belongs to psychology and physiology, where a stimulus is anything the body or mind registers and answers. The Latin singular was a goad for driving cattle.

Definitions of stimuli

1nounstimuliThe things that provoke a reaction.C1
“Babies respond to stimuli such as bright colours, faces and loud sounds.”

stimuli is a thing.

Practise this word

stimuli in the wild

However, classical conditioning can affect operant conditioning; classically conditioned stimuli can reinforce operant responses.
Classical conditioning
The term can, however, include stimuli affecting the mind (sexual fantasy), or senses other than touch (such as sight, smell, or hearing).
Sexual stimulation
External stimuli are capable of producing systemic responses throughout a body, as in the fight-or-flight response.
Stimulus (physiology)
In psychology, aversives are unpleasant stimuli that induce changes in behavior via negative reinforcement or positive punishment.
Aversives
The term is used for both the physiological reaction to stimuli and for the pathological, abnormal or excessive sensitivity to stimuli.
Irritability

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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