In addition, large-scale climate events like El Nino and La Nina redistribute vast water masses among Earth's ocean, atmosphere and land. Scientists care because, to put movements of Earth's crust into proper context, they need a frame of reference to evaluate them against.
Adj. 1. operant-having influence or producing an effect; many emotional determinants at work; an operant conscience. operative-being in force or having or exerting force; operative regulations; the major tendencies operative in the American political system. 1  Facebook.
On the other hand, operant behavior is any behavior whose future frequency is determined by its history of consequences. Operant behaviors are defined by their effects, not by the form of the behavior. Operant conditioning is an automatic process that refers to the selective effects of consequences on behavior.