Introducing the MedPCPy library for behavioral data analysis

The development of Behavior Analysis as a science has been interconnected to the development of technology used to study behavior. Open software has become relevant as a tool to overcome the current replication crisis in psychology and can help researchers in every step of their scientific practice. This paper presents the MedPCPy library, which was developed with the intent of easing the data analysis process for scientists who use Med Associates Inc. software and equipment. First, the library is capable of converting plain text files to spreadsheets and separating all Med-PC-generated arrays into more readable and manageable columns. Then, by means of six functions, the library can extract the measures relevant to the experimenter from those arrays and write them on both individual files and on a summary file which contains measures of central tendency. Once a Python script using the library is properly set, a single command is sufficient to analyze an arbitrary number of data files from as many subjects and sessions as needed. Along the article, the use of each function is described and an example for each is provided. As far as the authors know, MedPCPy is the only tool, either paid or free, which permits both the conversion of data files and the collection of their measures. This library is likely to reduce human error and save researchers’ time, while allowing a high level of flexibility.