conduct
Psychologists often conduct conduct studies to understand human behavior.
The sentence states that psychologists carry out studies of behavior.
Meanings
/kənˈdʌkt/
rhymes with: abduct, instruct, deduct
verb
to lead, manage, or carry out (an activity or process)
- The orchestra is conducted by a famous Italian maestro.
- Researchers conducted experiments to test the hypothesis.
/ˈkɒndʌkt/
rhymes with: product, abstract (front-stress)
noun
the manner in which a person behaves; behavior
- The student's conduct in class was exemplary.
- A code of conduct governs professional behavior.
Word origin
From Latin conductus, past participle of condūcere ('to lead together, conduct'), formed from com- ('together') + dūcere ('to lead'). The same Latin root produces 'duct', 'conduit', and 'duke'. The verb-noun stress alternation follows the trochaic noun rule.
Fun fact
An orchestra conductor 'conducts' (verb) the performance, but the conductor's professional 'conduct' (noun) is what's actually being judged by reviewers. The same word does double duty in a single review.