APA Dictionary of Psychology

a standardized instrument used to assess the behavioral problems and competencies of children between the ages of 4 and 18 years (a separate version is available for assessing the behavior of children ages 2 to 3). The CBCL is administered to parents, who describe their children’s behavior by assigning a rating to each of the more than 100 items on the checklist. The items assessed range from internalizing behaviors (e.g., fearful, shy, anxious, inhibited) to externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggressive, antisocial, undercontrolled). See also externalizing–internalizing. [developed in 1983 by U.S. psychologists Thomas M. Achenbach (1940–  ) and Craig S. Edelbrock (1951–  )]