Although the enterprise of experimental psychopathology has been around for quite some time, the integrative role that it plays in psychological science has not received explicit attention. This issue sits on the backdrop of theoretical and empirical evidence that, as an enterprise, experimental psychopathology has the potential to tie together psychological processes studied both in basic and applied domains. In this article, the authors discuss the nature of experimental psychopathology, focusing on its research agenda, historical perspective, and why and how it can be improved to have more of a direct impact in the study of psychopathology.
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