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ARCHIVAL DESCRIPTION OF BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGY
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Arthur M. Nezu, Ph.D.
ABPP, Member, ABBP Board of Directors |
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The specialty of Behavioral Psychology emphasizes an experimental-clinical approach regarding the application of behavioral and cognitive sciences to understanding human behavior and developing interventions to enhance the human condition. Behavioral psychologists engage in research, education, training, and clinical practice regarding a wide range of problems and populations. The distinct focus of behavioral psychology is twofold: (a) its heavily reliance on an empirical approach; and (b) its theoretical grounding in learning theories, broadly defined, including respondent conditioning, operant learning, social learning, and information processing models.
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Advanced Scientific and Theoretical Knowledge Germane to the Specialty
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Behavioral Psychology has its theoretical roots in the fields of behavior modification and behavior therapy. Currently, there are four subareas of Behavioral Psychology which share theoretical foundations in learning theory and a common approach to case conceptualization. These include applied behavior analysis, behavior therapy, cognitive-behavior therapy, and cognitive therapy. Behavior is very broadly defined to include overt actions, as well as private phenomena, such as cognitions, affect, emotions, and physiological events.
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The knowledge base of Behavioral Psychology is derived from a wide range of areas, including experimental, cognitive, developmental, physiological, and social psychology. The knowledge core common to all four subareas of Behavioral Psychology includes the full spectrum of learning theories,, human development, biological bases of behavior, cognitive aspects of behavior, affective aspects of behavior, psychopathology, principles of measurement, ethics, clinical decision making, differences regarding ethnic and cultural diversity issues, research methods, and group and single-subject experimental designs. Behavioral psychology is also concerned with how the various
behavioral, cognitive, affective, biological, and social factors interact and impact each other.
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Practitioners can be certified in Behavioral Psychology, with a concentration in one of the designated subareas,
by the American Board of Behavioral
Psychology, an affiliated board of the
American Board of Professional Psychology.
Practitioners of applied behavior analysis
can also be certified by the Behavior
Analyst Certification Board, Inc.
Cognitive therapists can also be certified
by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.
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Parameters to Define Professional Practice in Behavioral Psychology
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Behavioral psychologists serve a wide range of populations, including children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Although a focus on individual behavior is a hallmark of Behavioral Psychology, behavioral therapies have been implemented successfully with couples, groups, families, classrooms, and organizations, and in a variety of settings (e.g., homes, schools, clinics, hospitals, workplaces, correctional facilities, communities).
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Behavioral Psychology has been applied to a wide range of problems which include, but are not limited to the following:
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(a)ab Anxiety disorders (e.g., obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder)
(b)ab Depressive disorders (e.g., unipolar depression, dysthymic disorder)
(c)ab Personality disorders (e.g., borderline personality disorder)
(d)ab Substance abuse (e.g., alcoholism; drug abuse)
(e)ab Health-related problems (e.g., sleep disorders, eating disorders, weight control, pain, distress associated with chronic illness)
(f)ab Childhood disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder)
(g)ab Pervasive developmental disorders (e.g., behavioral problems, language problems, social skill deficits)
(h)ab Violence and aggressive behavior (e.g., criminal behavior, sex offending)
(i)ab Developmental disabilities (e.g., adaptive behavior, behavior problems, language difficulties)
(j)ab Academic performance
(k)ab Relationship problems (e.g., sexual dysfunction, marital difficulties)
(l)ab Schizophrenia (e.g., skill deficits, psychotic behavior)
(m)ab Public safety issues (i.e., wearing seat belts)
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Procedures
Empiricism is a hallmark of Behavioral Psychology– consequently, it relies heavily on those assessment and intervention procedures that have been found to be scientifically supported.
Beyond the use of “traditional” psychological assessment procedures, such as self-report inventories and rating scales, Behavioral Psychology has developed a variety of behavioral assessment procedures that emphasize measuring overt behavior and observable phenomena (e.g., direct observation and recording of the rate, frequency, duration, latency, intensity, or magnitude of target behaviors and cognitions). These methods are used to determine the nature and parameters of a problem in order to develop individualized treatment procedures, as well as during and after treatment in order to evaluate the efficacy of such interventions.
A large cadre of specific behavioral and cognitive interventions exist, most of them developed along the various traditional learning paradigms. These include, but are not limited to the following:
(a)ab Classical conditioning approaches (e.g, systematic desensitization, gradual exposure)
(b)ab Operant conditioning approaches (e.g., contingency management programs, token economy)
(c)ab Social learning approaches (e.g., behavioral rehearsal, modeling),
(d)ab Cognitive therapy approaches (e.g., cognitive restructuring, schema modification).
Other behavioral approaches focus on skills training (e.g., assertiveness training; behavioral activation, social problem-solving therapy), whereas still others may be considered as “stress management” strategies (e.g., autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation, visualization).
In addition to the assessment and treatment of individual and group problems, behavioral psychologists actively engage in research, training, and consultation.
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