Chapter 02 - Observing and Recording Behavior

behavioral assessment

measure the target behavior

• Helps determine if treatment is necessary 

• Provide information that helps to choose an intervention 

• Measuring target behavior pre and post treatment helps assess the effectiveness of the treatment/if behavior changed

direct and indirect

Two types of behavioral assessment

Direct assessment

person observes and records target behavior as it occurs 

• Preferred over indirect assessment - observer is trained to assess occurrence of target behavior

Indirect assessment

using interviews, questionnaires, rating scales to obtain information on target behavior from person exhibiting behavior or from others - does not occur when target behavior occurs 

• Not as preferred; relies on peoples memories which can be inaccurate

1. Define target behavior 

2. Determine logistics of recording 

3. Choose recording method 

4. Choose recording instrument

Steps needed to develop a behavior recording plan include

Behavioral definition

includes active verbs describing specific behaviors that a person exhibits - objective and unambiguous 

They cannot be directly observed by another person

Why cant a proper behavioral definition include internal states?

• Ambiguous - can mean different things to different people 

• Can be used incorrectly as explanations for behavior

Why cant labels be used to define behavior?

• Be a professional 

• Have proximity to the client to observe when target behavior occurs 

• Be trained to identify when target behavior occurs

Observer of a target behavior must

Self monitoring

a client observes and records their own target behavior

• Useful when it is not possible for another observer to record the target behavior, behavior does not occur frequently, or when no one else is present when behavior occurs

• Client must be trained to record their own behavior 

• Not necessarily restricted to specific observation period

Observation period

specific period in which observer records the target behavior 

• Schedules observation times can be determined from indirect assessment results (ex. Interview asking when to record behavior) 

• Brief in behavior mod (15-30 min) 

Natural setting

places in which target behavior typically occurs within clients normal daily routine

• Likely to provide more representative sample of target behavior than analogue setting

Analogue setting

observation setting that us not part of clients normal daily routine (room in which stimuli and activities are controlled)

Structured analogue setting

observer arranges for specific events or activities to occur during observation period

Unstructured analogue setting

no specific events or activities are arranged and no instructions are given during observation period

Continuous recording (event recording)

the observer observed client continuously throughout the observation period and records each occurrence of the target behavior - Observer can record the various dimensions of the target behavior - frequency, duration, intensity, and latency

Real-time recording

exact time of each onset and offset of a target behavior is recorded - cn be used to record duration and frequency

Percentage of opportunities

observer records the occurrence of a behavior in relation to some other event, and reports the results as the ______________ in which the behavior occurred

Percentage of opportunities - calculation

teacher made 12 requests and student complied 11 times → 11/12, or 92%

Product recording

type of indirect assessment that can be used when a behavior results in a certain tangible outcome that you are interested in

• Benefit - observer does not need to be present when behavior occurs 

• Drawback - cannot always determine who engaged in the behavior that lead to product being recorded

Product recording example

supervisor counts number of units assembled in a factory after a workday

Interval recording

record whether the behavior occurred during consecutive time periods or intervals

Partial-interval recording

observer scores the interval as an occurrence of the behavior occurred during any part of the interval

Whole-interval recording

occurrence of behavior is marked in an interval only when the behavior occurs throughout the entire interval - used infrequently in research and practice

Frequency-within-interval recording

observer records the frequency of the target behavior but does so within consecutive intervals of time in the observation period

Time sample recording

divide the observation period into intervals of time but observe and record the behavior during only part of each interval

Time sample recording example

recording a behavior for only one minute within a 15 min interval

Momentary time sample recording (MTS)

a variation of time sample recording in which the behavior is recorded only if it occurs at the exact instant the interval ends

paper and pencil, data sheet, stopwatch, tokens, electronic devices

What can be used to measure or record a behavior?

• Recording must be immediate - sooner behavior is recorded, the less likely to observer records behavior incorrectly 

• Recording must be practical - person recording target behavior must be able to record without much difficulty or disruption of ongoing activities

What are two things to keep in mind when recording behavior?

Reactivity

the process of recording a behavior causes the behavior to change

• Letting the client become accustomed to the observer

• Have observer record behavior w/o the people knowing they are being observed 

• Use video recording to mark behavior

How can reactivity be minimized?

desirable

If a client is self monitoring it may be ________ for reactivity to occur, they may become more aware of their behavior and behavior will change in the wanted direction as a result

Interobserver Agreement (IOA)

two people independently observe and record the same target behavior of the same subject during the same observation period, the recordings are compared and a percentage of agreement between observers is calculate

indicates consistency in scoring between two observers - suggests definition of target behavior is clear and objective and recording systems are being used correctly

When IOA is high…

• Assess across each condition and phase (baseline, treatment)

• Collect minimum 20% of sessions (ideal 33% minimum) 

• Agreement of 80% or greater IOA (ideal 90% or greater)

Standards for IOA

divide number of intervals with agreement by the total number of intervals

Assessing IOA for interval recording

divide smaller recorded duration by larger recorded duration

Assessing IOA for duration recording

calculated by dividing smaller recorded frequency by the larger recorded frequency

Assessing IOA for frequency

Target behavior

A behavior to change (increase/decrease)