1. Selecting, Defining, and Measuring Behavior
Week 2: Seeing is Believing

2. Behavioral Assessment
Comprehensive multi-method of data collection to identify and define behavioral targets for change

3. Purposes of Behavioral Assessment
Screening
Defining problems and/or desired achievement criteria
Pinpointing target behavior to be treated
Monitoring Progress
Follow up

4. Consider Social Significance of the Behavior
Habilitation?
Maximize Reinforcement & minimize Punishment
Prerequisite to learning New behavior?
Increase Access to learning new behavior?
Facilitate Social Interaction?
Getting rid of aggression, increasing compliments

5. Social Significance Considerations
Behavioral Cusp?
Reading
Pivotal Behavior?
Response Class
Age appropriate
Playing with a doll
Is this a real behavior of interest?
On Task, Losing Weight?
Replacement behavior needed?

6. Prioritizing Behaviors
Danger to self or other
How “severe”?
How long has the problem been occurring?
Increase higher rates of R+?
Relative Importance?
Reduce Negative Social Interaction?
Behavior Produce R+ for others?
Likelihood of change?
Lit., experience, environment, resources?
How much will it cost?
SEE Figure 3.5 on prioritizing potential target behaviors

7. Methods of Assessment RIOT Record Review Interviews/Checklists
Observations
Tests

8. Record Review School Record Permanent Products Report Cards
Work Samples
Report Cards

9. Determining Whether Permanent Product Is Appropriate
Is real time measurement needed?
Can the Behavior Be measured by Permanent Product?
Will obtaining contrived (if planned; e.g. tape recording) permanent product affect behavior?
How much will it cost?

10. Interviews Reliability is a concern Can be used to generate hypotheses
Get direct data (i.e. independent observation) to corroborate

11. Interviews Continued What, When, where and How questions? No WHY?
What does the behavior look like?
When does it occur?
What happens before the behavior?
What happens after the behavior?
Where does the behavior occur?
Who is around?
What gets the behavior to stop?
When is the behavior likely NOT to occur?
How long does the behavior occur?
How frequently does the behavior occur?

12. Rating Scales & Checklists
More reliable than verbal report
Used only as a “screener”
DO NOT USE ALONE FOR INTERVENTION OR DIAGNOSIS!
E.g. Behavioral Assessment System for Children
E.g. Diagnostic Inventory System for Children
E.g. RCMAS, CDI,

13. Observations
This is not an anecdotal report of what someone observed for a class period

14. General guidelines for observations:
Don’t be intrusive.
Agree upon a clearly defined and observable behavior first.
Observe across days/times/settings to increase reliability.
Use with other forms of assessment to increase validity.
Carefully consider the goal of the observation before selecting an observation tool.
Always note the environmental context of the behavior.
Observe students in their natural environments.
Always observe peers for a comparison.
TRY TO REDUCE REACTIVITY!

15. Observation “Systems”
Save your money
Very limited
Use direct behavioral systematic observation methods

16. Direct Behavioral Observations
ABC Log’s
Frequency Tabulation Log’s
Systematic Interval Recording

17. Examples of Direct Observations
ABC Recording
Antecedents - what occurs right before the behavior.
Behavior - problem behavior (observable and defined)
Consequences - what happens right after the behavior

18. Advantages of ABC Log Frees up Practitioner
Allows for measurement that is inconvenient or inaccessible
May be more accurate/complete

19. This is an example of an ABC that was documented each time the target behavior occurred. It is important in this situation to clearly define the target behavior.
Ask the audience what patterns they see.

20. Examples of Direct Observations
Frequency Count (RATE MEASURE!)
A measure of how often a clearly defined behavior occurs within a given period of time.
Examine the frequency of the behavior by tallying or counting the behavior as it occurs.
Use this when the behavior is discrete (has an obvious beginning and ending) and does not occur at very high rates.
This information is helpful at ALL steps of the problem solving process
ALWAYS MEASURE AS RATE WHEN POSSIBLE!!!!

21. This is an example of another chart
This is an example of another chart. The X’s are when data collection didn’t occur. Important to note, otherwise we would assume that the student’s behavior was perfect. What benefits does this one have over the other? Again the challenge is figuring out clever ways to collect the information (talk about various ways of tallying behaviors such as flipping the pages of a book, using a golf counter, etc.). Ask them for clever ways that they have kept track of behavior.
Ask the audience what patterns they see.

22. Examples of Direct Observations
Systematic Data Recording
Examine percentage of target behavior by:
Recording when the selected student is engaging in target behavior during 10-second intervals for 15 minutes.
Peers are observed in the same way as a comparison.
Requires more training than the other observation tools.
This information is helpful at all steps of the problem solving process

23. Systematic Direct Behavioral Observations: Interval Recording
Partial Interval Recording: Occurs anytime within interval
Whole Interval Recording: Occurs majority of Interval
Momentary Time Sampling: Within 3 seconds
Planned Activity Check: Frequency count of students at moment
Duration Recording: How long behavior occurs

24. Target Child Composite Child Behavior 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1415 16 17 18 19 20 A X TO OT
Composite Child
Behavior 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 A X TO OT

25. Measurement Issues Frequency Duration Latency: S to R Intensity
Rate when possible
If acquisition both accuracy and error rates
Duration
Total
Per Occurrence
Latency: S to R
Interresponse Time: R to R
Intensity

26. Derived & Definitional Measures
Percentages
40% of intervals observed
Trials to Criterion
10 consecutive correct trials
Topography: Form/Shape
Magnitude: Force/Intensity

27. Psychometrics of Behavioral Measurement
Validity
Reliability
Accuracy

28. How to maximize valid and accurate data collection
Measure behavior continuously
Measure behavior the same time/place across observations
Measure with solid “system”
Train observers then train them again later
Minimize reactivity
Assess Accuracy of Measurement: Answer Key
Assess Reliability: IOA on 25-33% of sessions
80-90%

29. IOA: Event Recording Total Count: Mean Count Per interval
(Smaller/Larger ) x 100
Mean Count Per interval
( N IOA)/ n intervals
Exact Count Per Interval
(# Intervals of 100% IOA)/(n intervals)
Trial by Trial
(# Trials with Agreements/ Total number of Trials) x 100%

30. IOA: Timing Total Duration Mean Duration
(Shorter Duration/Longer Duration) x 10
Mean Duration
(IOA Rn/ N responses )* 100

31. IOA: Interval Recording
Interval by Interval
(Agreements/Agreements + Disagreements) *100%
Scored Interval
Calculate only when one of the two scorers scored something
Unscored Interval
Calculate only when one of the two scorers scored something Did not occur