The situation

A formulation for the explanation of behavior is needed to guide the work of the applied psychologist whose first task is to explain behavior. It can also serve as a coordinating framework for the basic research that centers around each of psychology's many constructs. This paper puts forward the notion that the appropriate framework reflects the intersection of numerous person and environment systems; in other words, that it is found in the structure of a situation. Continuity within the science of psychology is promoted if an appropriate structure is found in the classic situations of the experimental laboratory. A prototypical situation that is based on the major paradigms of instrumental learning is described. It has already shown considerable utility in organizing the investigation of behavioral determinants in a real-world setting, and its ability to clarify interrelationships among psychology's constructs also looks promising.Thanks are due to C. Cofer, J. Keenan, E. Mannucci, and M. Nadien for their helpful comments on a draft of this paper.