Finally, we have discussed the use of role-
playing or behavioral rehearsal, of behavior-based
inventories or checklists, and of more cognitively
focused assessments. The future of behavioral assess-
ment is likely to include more cognitive and
psychophysiological assessment methods and to
take advantage of technological advances (e.g.,
computer-assisted data acquisition methods) to
make behavioral assessment more precise, valid, and
efficient.KEY TERMS
antecedent conditionsStimulus conditions, or
conditions that lead up to the behavior of interest.
behavioral assessmentAn assessment approach
that focuses on the interactions between situations
and behaviors for the purpose of effecting
behavioral change.
behavioral interviewsInterviews conducted for
the purpose of identifyingaproblembehavior,the
situational factors that maintain the behavior, and
the consequences that result from the behavior.
behavioral rehearsalRole-playing. The term
behavioral rehearsalis usually used in cases where the
patient is trying to develop a new response pattern.
cognitive-behavioral assessmentAn assessment
approach recognizing that the person’s thoughts or
cognitions play an important role in behavior.
cognitive-functional approachAn assessment
approach that calls for the functional analysis of the
client’s thinking processes. In this approach, the
clinician completes a careful analysis of the
person’s cognitions, how they are aiding or
interfering with performance, and under what
situations this is occurring.
consequent eventsOutcomes, or events that
follow from the behavior of interest.
controlled observationAn observational
method in which the clinician exerts a certain
amount of purposeful control over the events
being observed; also known asanalogue behavioral
observation. Controlled observation may be pre-
ferred in situations where a behavior does not
occur very often on its own or where normal
events are likely to draw the patient outside the
observer’srange.
controlled performance techniqueAn assess-
ment procedure in which the clinician places
individuals in carefully controlled performance
situations and collects data on their performance/
behaviors, their emotional reactions (subjectively
rated), and/or various psychophysiological indices.
dysfunctional thought recordCompleted by
the client, it provides the client and therapist with
a record of the client’s automatic thoughts that are
related to dysphoria or depression.
ecological momentary assessmentAnew
method of behavioral assessment in which par-
ticipants record their thoughts, feelings, or beha-
viors as they occur in the natural environment.
This is typically accomplished through the use of
electronic diaries.
ecological validityIn the context of behavioral
assessment, the extent to which the behaviors
analyzed or observed are representative of a
person’s typical behavior.
electronic diariesA technique used in behavior
assessment in which individuals carry handheld
computers that are programmed to prompt the
individuals to complete assessments at that
moment in time, in participants’natural
environment.
functional analysisA central feature of behavioral
assessment. In a functional analysis, careful analyses
are made of the stimuli preceding a behavior and the
consequences following from it to gain a precise
understanding of the causes of the behavior.
home observationObservationthatiscarried
out in the patient’s home by trained observers
using an appropriate observational rating system.280 CHAPTER 9