Glossary
Psychological capability
What is psychological capability?
Psychological capability is the mental capacity needed to perform a behavior, including relevant knowledge and cognitive or behavioral skills. It is distinguished from physical capability in COM-B.
How it fits the framework
Knowing that a behavior is beneficial is different from knowing how to perform it or having the skills required in its actual setting. The model treats these as possible targets to investigate, rather than assuming that every failure to act reflects a knowledge deficit.
Psychological capability examples
A person may understand why budgeting matters but need practice identifying recurring costs and preparing a workable budget. The task may also require remembering payment dates, keeping attention on a statement, and planning how to handle an irregular expense.
Why psychological capability matters
Knowing why a task matters does not teach someone how to do it. That distinction helps separate information from the skills a task requires.
The original Behaviour Change Wheel paper provides this definition and the relationships between categories.