Mathematical models and the experimental analysis of behaviour
Mathematical models and the experimental analysis of behaviour
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DOI：
10.1901/jeab.2006.65-05
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发表时间：
2006-03-01
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Mazur, JE
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Mazur, JE
多年来，数学模型在行为实验分析中的兴起有所增加，它们提供了几个优势。数学模型要求理论学家精确且毫不含糊，常常允许用语言描述听起来相似的相互竞争的理论进行比较。有时，不同的数学模型可以对大量数据做出同样准确的预测。在这种情况下，重要的是发现和调查竞争模型做出不同预测的情况，因为除非两个模型在数学上实际上是相等的，否则它们是基于对所有观察到的行为背后的心理过程的不同假设。在基础行为研究中发展起来的数学模型已经被用来预测和控制应用环境中的行为，并且它们已经指导了心理学其他领域的研究。一个好的数学模型可以提供一个共同的框架来理解那些看起来不同的、不相关的行为现象。因为心理学家的定量技能和对数学方程的容忍度各不相同，所以对于那些建立行为数学模型的人来说，找到方法（如语言类比、图像表征或具体例子）将模型的关键前提传达给非专业人士是很重要的。
The rise of mathematical models in the experimental analysis of behavior has increased over the years, and they offer several advantages. Mathematical models require theorists to be precise and unambiguous, often allowing comparisons of competing theories that sound similar when stated in words. Sometimes different mathematical models may make equally accurate predictions for a large body of data. In Such cases, it is important to find and investigate situations for which the competing models make different predictions because, unless two models are actually mathematically equivalent, they are based on different assumptions about the psychological processes that underlie ail observed behavior. Mathematical models developed in basic behavioral research have been used to predict and control behavior in applied settings, and they have guided research in other areas of psychology. A good mathematical model call provide a common framework for understanding what might otherwise appear to be diverse and unrelated behavioral phenomena. Because psychologists vary in their quantitative skills and in their tolerance for mathematical equations, it is important for those who develop mathematical models of behavior to find ways (such as verbal analogies, pictorial representations, or concrete examples) to communicate the key premises of their models to nonspecialists.