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Behavior Therapy

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Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development

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Synonyms

Behavior modification

Definition

Behavior therapy refers to both a therapeutic process and a set of techniques that are based on operant and respondent conditioning.

Description

Behavior therapy began in the early 1950s as an alternative to the mentalistic (psychodynamic) approaches that dominated psychology. Based on research from both operant and respondent conditioning, it is more about a theoretical approach to understanding human behavior and a commitment to scientific methodology than a mere set of therapy techniques. The term “behavior therapy” is credited to three researchers: Ogden Lindsley in 1953, Arnold Lazarus in 1958, and Hans Eysenck in 1959 [1]. It is distinguished from other forms of therapy by five primary characteristics: (1) focus on the current, as opposed to historical, influences on behavior, (2) emphasis on using overt behavior change as the ultimate determinant of treatment progress/success, (3) clear specification of treatment procedures to foster...

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References

  1. Franks, C. M., Wilson, T. G., Kendall, P. C., & Foreyt, J. P. (1990). Review of behavior therapy: Theory and practice (Vol. 12). New York: Guilford.

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  2. Watson, T. S., & Gresham, F. M. (Eds.). (1998). Handbook of child behavior therapy. New York: Plenum.

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  3. Zinbarg, R. E., & Griffith, J. W. (2008). Behavior therapy. In J. L. Lebow (Ed.), Twenty-first century psychotherapies: Contemporary approaches to theory and practice (pp. 8–42). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Educational Psychology, Miami University (OH), 201 McGuffey Hall, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA

    Steuart T. Watson & Tonya S. Watson

Authors
  1. Steuart T. Watson
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  2. Tonya S. Watson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Steuart T. Watson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center, 230 South 500 East, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102, USA

    Sam Goldstein Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychology MS 2C6, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Jack A. Naglieri Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology) (Professor of Psychology)

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Watson, S.T., Watson, T.S. (2011). Behavior Therapy. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_310

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_310

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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