behavior analysis

the decomposition of behavior into its component parts or processes. This approach to psychology is based on the experimental analysis of behavior, in which behavior is the subject matter for research rather than an indicator of underlying psychological entities or processes. Emphasis is placed on interactions between behavior and the environment. See applied behavior analysis. [originally developed by B. F. Skinner]

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Psychology term of the day

January 23rd 2025

functional measurement

a procedure that measures the subjective experience of stimuli as that experience changes across different contexts. Two or more stimuli are presented in various combinations to an observer who assigns ratings to each. These ratings are then integrated according to a simple arithmetical law discovered by examining the way in which the observer’s ratings change when the combination of stimuli is changed.