Application of T-pattern analysis in the study of the organization of behavior

Abstract

The study of the temporal patterns in behavior is a task frequently faced by scientists from various research areas, such as psychology, psychiatry, sport science, biology, computer science, just to name a few. The search for temporal patterns in behavior is undoubtedly an important experimental approach that has revealed unexpected results. As emphasized by Professor Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt, a pupil of Konrad Lorenz (Nobel Prize in 1973, with Karl von Frisch and Nikolaas Tinbergen), all the behaviors of living beings, consist of patterns unfolding over time [1]. Thus if one aims to study behavior, in its most intimate structure, the need to deal with time is implicit. However, such an aspect entails an intrinsic difficulty. Eibl-Eibesfeldt, indeed, continues underlining that “Investigations of behavior deal with sequences that, in contrast to bodily characteristics, are not always visible”. [Excerpt]