Experimental analysis of individual differences and personality.

IN PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDIES INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES THAT RESULT IN VARIABILITY IN DATA AND THUS MASK THE EFFECTS UNDER INVESTIGATION HAVE BEEN REDUCED OR ELIMINATED IN TWO WAYS: (1) through the use of large numbers of subjects and statistical manipulations, or (2) through extensive and controlled studies of individual subjects. The latter, behavior-analytic, method is scientifically better because it permits identification of the variables that result in individual differences. This paper advocates the direct study of individual differences and personality rather than indirect study through experimental control procedures. Some data are presented showing that individual differences in response patterns have orderly characteristics. Extension of the experimental analysis of behavior to the study of individual differences and personality is likely to be important both scientifically and for the future growth of behavior analysis.