In JavaScript, what does the 'this' keyword refer to within a function?

The 'this' keyword in JavaScript is context-dependent and its value can change based on how a function is called. When used within a method of an object, 'this' refers to the object from which the method was called. This means that if a method is invoked on a specific object, 'this' will reference that object, allowing access to its properties and methods.

For instance, if you have an object person with a method sayName, when you call person.sayName(), inside the sayName method, 'this' will refer to person, allowing you to access person.name directly. This capability is essential for object-oriented programming in JavaScript, enabling methods to operate on the data contained in their associated objects.

In contexts other than methods, such as when a function is called standalone, 'this' may refer to the global object. However, within the context of an object's method call, the correct understanding is indeed that 'this' refers to the object that invoking the method.