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. 1986 Sep;46(2):219–242. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1986.46-219

Units of analysis and kinetic structure of behavioral repertoires

Travis Thompson, David Lubinski
PMCID: PMC1348288  PMID: 16812461

Abstract

It is suggested that molar streams of behavior are constructed of various arrangements of three elementary constituents (elicited, evoked, and emitted response classes). An eight-cell taxonomy is elaborated as a framework for analyzing and synthesizing complex behavioral repertoires based on these functional units. It is proposed that the local force binding functional units into a smoothly articulated kinetic sequence arises from temporally arranged relative response probability relationships. Behavioral integration is thought to reflect the joint influence of the organism's hierarchy of relative response probabilities, fluctuating biological states, and the arrangement of environmental and behavioral events in time.

Keywords: behavioral units, units of analysis, response class, organization of behavior, behavioral taxonomy, relative response probability

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Selected References

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