ch. 3: defining, measuring and recording target behaviour

2 examples of a behavioural deficit

• not responding to prompts

• not doing work

what is a behavioural deficit

when there is too little behaviour of a particular type

behavioural assessment

the collection and analysis of information and data to describe, identify, guide and evaluate treatment

4 self-management behaviours that have been modified by BM

• saving money

• increasing exercise

• improving studying

• controlling gambling

5 phases of BMP

1. screening/intake

2. defining target behaviour

3. pre-program/baseline assessment

4. treatment

5. follow up

functions of screening/intake phase

• will the behaviour modifier be appropriate for the patient’s condition?

• informed consent

• screen for crisis and immediate intervention

• can we diagnose off of the information according to DSM-5?

• which behaviours should be assessed

defining target-behaviour phase with Darren from txtbook

in a BMP, we want to decrease his behavioural excess (commanding) and increase his behavioural deficit (cooperative behaviour)

function of pre-program/baseline assessment phase

an ABA will compile measurements of behaviours of concern to make a baseline to determine its level prior to treatment and look for causes of behaviour

function of treatment phase

ABA will design and apply the program tailored to the baseline assessment phase (intervention)

• can change program if measurements do not cause change in behaviour within reasonable time

follow-up phase

conducted to determine whether improvements in behaviour have been achieved

3 assessment procedures for collecting information are

• indirect

• direct

• experimental

indirect assessment procedures

assessments where the aba does not directly observe the behaviour, but uses interviews with family, questionnaires, role playing and client self-monitoring

advantages of indirect assessment

requires minimal time, provides information about covert behaviours

disadvantages of indirect assessment

not as accurate, biases, subjective

4 types of questionnaires

• life-history questionnaires

• self-report problem checklists

• survey schedules

• third-party behavioural checklists/rating scales

life-history questionnairs

provide demographic data (married? work? health? education?)

self-report problem checklists

client chooses from a list the problems that apply to them

• aids the aba to specify why client is seeking intervention

survey schedules

gives the aba information needed to conduct specific therapeutic techniques

third-party behavioural checklists/rating scales

allows people involved with client (fam/professionals) to subjectively assess frequency and quality of behaviours

role-playing

when a situation or certain crucial aspects of it are recreated within the therapist’s office

client self-monitoring

direct observation by the client of their own behaviour

• might also aid in the discovery of the causes of problem behaviour

direct assessment procedures

aba directly observes and records target behaviours in the actual settings where the behaviour occurs

advantages of direct assessment

more accurate

disadvantages of direct assessment

time consuming, requires appropriate training and cannot monitor covert behaviours

topography of a response

the specific movements involved in making a response

frequency

the number of instances of a behaviour that occur in a given period of time

duration

length of time from the beginning to the end of an episode of behaviour

intensity

the force of a response

• was the tantrum just crying or staying up late and screaming

stimulus control

degree of correlation between a given stimulus and a response to the stimulus

latency (reaction time)

time between the stimulus and the start of a behaviour

quality

subjective designation of the characteristics of behaviour that has functional or social value

4 strategies for recording behaviour

1. continuous/event-frequency recording

2. partial-interval recording

3. whole-interval recording

4. time-sampling recording

continuous/event-frequency recording

the recording of every instance of behaviour within a designated observation period

partial-interval recording

records behaviour as occurring or not occurring during short intervals of equal duration

• good for lower frequency of behaviour

whole-interval recording

records behaviour as occurring only if the behaviour persists throughout the entire interval

time-sampling recording

records behaviour as occurring or not occurring during short and intermittent intervals

• eg: i observe for 15s every hour. when is there behaviour and when is there not

purpose of interobserver aggreement

to see how similar the results of their results or scores are

how to calculate frequency count

smaller number divided by larger number x 100

how to calculate partial interval procedure

# of interval agreements / total # of intervals x 100

categories of error that affect observation accuracy

1. response definition is vague

2. observation has distractions or hinders behaviour

3. observer is poorly trained

4. data sheets are poorly designed

5. recording procedures are difficult to manage