Behavioral Science Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
dialectical behavior therapy
A comprehensive cognitive-behavioral treatment approach that integrates mindfulness and distress tolerance skills, originally developed for borderline personality disorder.
behavioral phenotype
The characteristic behavioral patterns associated with specific genetic or developmental conditions.
behavioral phenotyping
The systematic measurement and characterization of observable behaviors to identify patterns associated with specific ge...
behavioral rehearsal
A therapeutic technique where clients practice specific behaviors in a controlled setting before applying them in real-w...
behavioral repertoire
The complete set of behaviors that an individual is capable of performing across different contexts and situations.
behavioral trap
An intervention that captures and maintains behavior change through naturally occurring contingencies in the environment...
behavioral variability
The degree of variation or diversity in an individual's behavioral responses across time or contexts.
chaining procedure
A behavioral teaching technique that links individual behavioral components together in sequence to form a complex skill...
clinical formulation
A hypothesis-driven explanation of a client's psychological difficulties that guides treatment planning.
cognitive behavioral therapy
An evidence-based psychotherapeutic approach that addresses maladaptive thoughts, behaviors, and emotions through struct...
competing behavior model
A framework for understanding how alternative behaviors compete with problem behaviors for the same reinforcing conseque...
concurrent measurement
The simultaneous collection of data on multiple behaviors or outcomes during the same observation period.
concurrent schedule
A reinforcement schedule where two or more independent schedules operate simultaneously for different behaviors or respo...
concurrent validity
The degree to which a measure correlates with an established criterion measure administered at the same time.
contingency management
A behavioral intervention that provides immediate consequences based on specific behavioral targets.
contingency mapping
A visual representation of the relationships between antecedents, behaviors, and consequences to analyze behavioral patt...
contingency-shaped behavior
Behaviors that develop and are maintained through direct contact with environmental contingencies rather than through ve...
deprivation condition
An environmental state where access to a reinforcer has been restricted, increasing the individual's motivation to engag...
dialectical behavior therapy
A comprehensive cognitive-behavioral treatment approach that integrates mindfulness and distress tolerance skills, origi...
differential reinforcement
A behavior modification technique that reinforces desired behaviors while withholding reinforcement for undesired behavi...
discrete trial training
A structured behavioral teaching method that breaks skills into small components taught through repeated practice trials...
discriminative stimulus
An environmental cue that signals when a particular behavior is likely to be reinforced, serving as an occasion for that...
DRH schedule
A reinforcement schedule that provides rewards only when behaviors occur at or above a specified rate or frequency.
DRL schedule
A reinforcement schedule that delivers rewards only when behaviors occur at or below a specified rate or with sufficient...
DRO schedule
A reinforcement schedule that provides reinforcement when a target behavior does not occur for a specified period.