Multivariate analyses for the study of behavior: an integrated approach

Abstract

Simple quantitative evaluations of isolate behavioral elements (i.e. frequencies, durations, per cent distributions) are not representative of the whole behavioral structure [1]. As suggested in a landmark paper from Spruijt and Gispen [2], it is only through the evaluation of the inter-relations among behavioral elements that it is possible to explore behavior from very different points of view, greatly beyond what the human eye can intuitively interpret. In the present paper a brief outline of different multivariate techniques for behavioral analyses will be presented in the attempt to underline the feasibility of their integration.