Behavior Analysis & Measurement: Key Concepts and Designs in Psychology

Definition and characteristics of behavior

_____ is anything an organism does or says; involves an individual's actions, not labels; involves measurable dimensions; can be observed, described, and recorded; is lawful; impacts the environment (physical or social)

4 measures of behavior

Frequency (how many times the behavior occurred); Duration (time from the start of the behavior to the end); Intensity (the force or magnitude of the behavior); Latency (time from the stimulus to the behavior's onset)

Target behavior

Target behaviors

Behavioral excess

An undesirable target behavior a person wants to decrease

Behavioral deficit

A desirable target behavior a person wants to increase

Behavior modification

The science and practice of analyzing and modifying human behavior

Logistics/steps of behavioral assessment

Who will observe and record the behavior; determine the length of the observation period; choose a recording location; determine if the observation is to be structured or unstructured

Continuous recording

Client is observed continuously throughout the observation period; each occurrence of the behavior is recorded

Permanent product recording

Not direct observation of behavior; method of assessment used when a behavior results in a certain tangible outcome of interest

Interval recording

The measurement of whether or not a behavior occurs during each interval within a series of consecutive intervals

Reactivity

Process of recording a behavior causes the behavior to change, even before any treatment is implemented

Interobserver agreement

Assessing reliability

Independent variable

The treatment or intervention that is manipulated by the researcher

Dependent variable

The behavior that is measured to see the effect of the independent variable

Extraneous variables

Variables other than the independent variable that could affect the dependent variable

Functional relationship

A reliable relationship in which changes in the independent variable consistently produce changes in the dependent variable

Baseline

The condition in which the target behavior is measured before treatment is implemented

X-axis

The horizontal axis on a graph that represents time or sessions

Y-axis

The vertical axis on a graph that represents the level of the behavior being measured

Reversal design

A single-subject design in which treatment is withdrawn to demonstrate that behavior changes when conditions change

Multiple-baseline design

Treatment is instituted at successive points in time for two or more people, settings, or behaviors; treatment does not have to be withdrawn; baseline is of different duration for each person, setting, or behavior

Changing criterion design

A design similar to an AB design in which there are successive performance criteria within the treatment phase that produce a gradual change in behavior over time

Conflict that leads to behavior management issues

A pattern of interaction in which one person's behavior escalates conflict and another person's response unintentionally reinforces the undesired behavior, making future behavior problems more likely