Behavioral history: A definition and some common findings from two areas of research

Behavioral history research includes studies that (a) permit assessment of a prior experimental condition on a subsequent one, (b) show either short-lived or permanent effects, and (c) produce effects that are observable in ongoing behavior or that may be unobservable until special test conditions are introduced. We review experiments within both the conventional experimental analysis of behavior and behavioral pharmacology in order to identify commonalities and differences in the outcomes of conceptually similar experiments. We suggest that a deeper understanding of the necessary and sufficient conditions for producing history effects will emerge from these complementary research efforts.