The phenomenology of behavior: an overview of behavioral principles

Noncognitive behavioral symptoms are common in dementia and present challenges to caregivers, clinicians, and researchers. This article reviews these noncognitive symptoms from a behavioral point of view and suggests that both operant and associative conditioning principles might apply. A central feature underlying these approaches is a detailed, specific description of the behavior. Careful description combines the approach of the phenomenologist and the behaviorist but remains underappreciated and underdeveloped.