The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concept of behavioral variability aiming at standardizing the different conceptions and uses of the term. We propose 1) a definition that resorts to the common characteristics underlying current variability concepts reported in the literature, and 2) the description and systematization of specific aspects of each one of those uses of the term by means of the following criteria: the content and structure of each concept, its empirical/theoretical and molar/molecular levels of analysis, and types of measurement and codes under which they are specified. The present analysis is an initial attempt at obtaining a behavioral variability taxonomy.
behavioral variability; behavioral selection; learning; methodological analysis; conceptual analysis