Policarpio, Elaine Jayne C.
The Behavioral Tradition
PCAS-06-601P
Behavioral Assessment
Behavioral assessment is a method
used in the field of psychology to
observe, describe, explain, predict and
sometimes correct behavior.
Behavioral assessment can be useful in
clinical, educational and corporate
settings.
Behaviorism beginning in 1930’s
Pavlov: Pavlovian or classical
conditioning
B.F. Skinner
(most noteworthy work 1953)
 Skinner box for rat learning
research
 Operant or response
Behavioral Assessment Context in
Clinical Psych
 Grows from Behavior Theory /
Learning Theory
 Aspects of it can be easily
combined with other forms of
assessment very common to do
so
 Differs from traditional
assessment (clinical interview
and testing) in 3 ways
 Sample versus Sign
 Functional Analysis
 Behavioral Assessment as an
ongoing process
Sample versus Sign
Sign-versus-sample approach:
In the sign approach to assessing
personality, character types, traits, or
unconscious conflicts are inferred from
questionnaires and other self-report
inventories.
In the sample approach to assessing
behavior, test responses are interpreted
as directly indicative of present
behavior, not of traits, motives, or
childhood experiences.
In behavioral assessment, test,
interview responses are interpreted as
“samples” of behavior that are thought
to generalize to other situations
In traditional assessment (even
psychodynamic) we interpret test data
as “signs” of internal process
Functional Analysis
Functional analysis in behavioral
psychology is the application of the laws
of operant and respondent conditioning
to establish the relationships between
stimuli and responses.
According to Yoman, 2008, assessing
the manner in which variations in
stimulus conditions and outcomes are
related to behavior changes make
possible a more precise understanding
of the causes of behavior.
Derived from Skinner’s work with SR
(stimulus-response) learning
SORC model
SORC model (Kanfer & Phillips, 1970):
S stimulus or antecedent conditions
that bring on the problematic behavior
O organismic variables related to the
problematic behavior
R response or problematic behavior
C consequences of the problematic
behavior
The clinical goal of functional analysis is
to effectively identify targets of
intervention that are alterable, in order
that appropriate treatments may be
rapidly implemented and evaluated.
Thus, to change an undesirable
behavior, the clinician must (a) identify
the stimulus conditions that precipitate it
and (b) determine the reinforcements
that follow.
Once these two sets of factors are
assessed, the clinician is in a position to
modify the behavior by manipulating the
stimuli and/or reinforcements involved.
Behavioral Assessment as an
Ongoing Process
Is an ongoing & active process, through
all points of behavioral therapy: initial
assessment, therapy, and evaluation of
improvement
Assessment is an ongoing process in
almost all clinical orientations, in that it’s
almost always in the “back” of clinician’s
mind.
In behavioral assessment, is a planned
& integral part of entire therapeutic
process
An evaluation of client resources, such
as skills, level of motivation, beliefs, and
expectations, is also important. As noted
by Peterson and Sobell (1994), the
initial assessments of
diagnosis/maladaptive behaviors,
treatment context and client resources
will naturally lead to a data-based initial
treatment plan.
BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWS
Yoman (2008) makes the case that
an important first step in functional
analysis is to define the “ultimate
outcomes” of desired behavior change.
A behavioral interview is a
popular interview technique employer
use to assess job candidates based on
their past behavior
Behavioral interviews: ask questions
focused on target behaviors
Goal: help clinician to gain general
perspective of problem behavior and the
variables that perpetuate it