Designs and validation procedures in interbehavioral psychology: conditional discrimination and longitudinal strategies

Abstract

The methodology of various experimental studies on human behavior based on interbehavioral approach are reviewed. Conditional discrimination procedures outstand as an experimental preparation widely used. General procedures, variations and commonly employed parameters in conditional discrimination are described and summarized. Experimental designs based on a longitudinal strategy seem to fu experimental criteria derived from interbehavioral assumptions. Advantages of longitudinal experimental designs as well as some methodological risks concerned with confounding of the independent variable with other variables are outlined. Some control techniques to avoid such confoundings are proposed. Traditional procedures to establish valid inferences are challenged and alternative solutions are proposed from an interbehavioral perspective. A transversal approach to research design taking into account within-subject is suggested