noun, Psychology. 1. Also called operant conditioning, instrumental conditioning. a process of changing behavior by rewarding or punishing a subject each time an action is performed until the subject associates the action with pleasure or distress.
Pertussis is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It is an airborne disease which spreads easily through the coughs and sneezes of an infected person. People are infectious to others from the start of symptoms until about three weeks into the coughing fits.
Bordetella pertussis is a bacterium that targets the lungs, typically causing a three-stage respiratory infection that is known as pertussis or whooping cough. It is highly contagious and causes a prolonged infection that is passed from person to person through respiratory droplets and close contact.Pertussis tests are performed to detect and diagnose a B. pertussis infection.The incubation period for pertussis varies from a few days to up to three weeks.t is highly contagious and causes a prolonged infection that is passed from person to person through respiratory droplets and close contact. Pertussis tests are performed to detect and diagnose a B. pertussis infection. The incubation period for pertussis varies from a few days to up to three weeks.