Measuring Behavior - Grade: 100 PDF

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the assignment that includes the behavior, subject being observed, data recording method, observation tables, Validity reliability, and accuracy ...

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Running head: MEASURING BEHAVIOR

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Measuring Behavior PSY 7701 Professor Andrea Murray May 13, 2018

Running head: MEASURING BEHAVIOR

2 Behaviors

A behavior is anything that an individual says or does that involves movement and has an impact on the environment. Behavior is influenced by the environment. An individual can observe, describe, and record a behavior that is performed. An individual can exhibit many behaviors and some which are not good. Per Cooper, Heron, & Heward (2007), there are numerous characteristics that must be provided when writing descriptions of behaviors. A good definition of a target behavior provides an accurate, complete, and concise description of the behavior to be changed (and therefore measured) (Hawkins & Dobes, 1977). Morris (1985) suggested three ways in which to test definition of a target behavior (Cooper et al., 2007). Can you count the number of times the behavior occurs, or the number of minutes it takes to perform it? Will a stranger know what to look for when you tell him the target behavior you are planning to modify? Can you break down the target behavior into smaller behavioral components? Subjects Being Observed My first observation is of a female in her early twenties. She is sitting at a table in a meeting. The room is small and has tables set up in a “U” shape making it easy to see the person presented the material for the meeting. She continues to pick her arm during the meeting. This is the behavior that is observed and will be recorded. My second observation is of a female in her early thirties who is constantly biting her nails. Neither female knew that they were being observed. The duration of time for each observation was between ten and twenty minutes. Data Recording Method There are a few techniques with regards to estimating the behavior of a person. The different techniques incorporate event recording, timing, and time sampling. Per Cooper et. Al (2007), timing includes the utilization of an assortment of timing gadgets or potentially

Running head: MEASURING BEHAVIOR

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methodology to gauge the length a behavior happens, the response latency, and the between reaction time. Time sampling is comparative in that it hopes to record a behavior amid interims of time or at minutes in time through three structures including whole-interval recording, partialinterval recording, and through momentary time sampling. Whole-interval recording hopes to quantify consistent behavior, partial-interval recording hopes to check whether the behavior happened whenever amid the interval, and momentary time sampling hopes to check whether the behavior is happening right as the interval finishes (Cooper et al., 2007). These two methodologies took a gander at timing the behavior and seeing when a behavior occurred amid an interval. Continuous estimation is said to create a superior general behavioral example (Cuumings & Carr, 2009). As this was an underlying perception and the behaviors showed by both females were not continuous behaviors the data recording method utilized was event recording. Event recording can used to document the amount of time they perform the behavior being observed. This can be done by making tally marks on a sheet of paper each time the behavior is performed. This data recording strategy measures the frequency of the behavior rather than the duration of it, which enables an analyst to perceive how often amid a given period the individual shows the behavior. The duration of these two behaviors did not appear to be critical as it was simply the behavior, or the frequency of the behaviors being shown that was the core interest. Both females were observed on three different days at three different times for a duration of fifteen minutes at a meeting. The frequency of their behavior was noted each time with a tally mark. Female one was recorded exhibiting the behavior of picking her arm five times on day one, three times on the second day and five times the last day of my observation. Female two

Running head: MEASURING BEHAVIOR

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was recorded exhibiting the behavior of nail biting five times on day one, five times on day two and seven times the last day of my observation.

Observation Table for Female Number One Date

Setting

5/08/2018

Meeting

5/09/2018

Meeting

5/10/2018

Meeting

Observatio n Time

Behavior

10:15 AM to 10:30 AM 9 AM to 9:15 AM 10:15 AM to 10:30 AM

Picking Arm Picking Arm Picking Arm

# of Times

Total Number of Times

11111

5

Before, During, or After Interventio n Before

111

3

Before

11111

5

Before

Observation Table for Female Number Two Date

Setting

5/08/2018

Meeting

5/09/2018

Meeting

5/10/2018

Meeting

Observatio n Time

11 AM to 11:15 AM 11 AM to 11:15 AM 11:30 AM to 11:45AM

Behavior

Nail Biting Nail Biting Nail Biting

# of Times

Total Number of Times

11111

5

Before, During, or After Interventio n Before

11111

5

Before

1111111

7

Before

Validity, Reliability, and Accuracy For data gathered to be useful it must have validity, reliability, and accuracy. The use of inaccurate information will not be productive when working a client. These three components are markers of a measurement's reliability in which each will be subject to the next to verify that the information is quantifiable (Cooper et. al., 2007). The information that is assembled by an

Running head: MEASURING BEHAVIOR analysis must be accurate, reliable, and valid as this is the ideal approach to reach inferences which will decide the viability of behavioral intercessions. Utilizing the data that isn't accurate, reliable, or valid would give comes about on the information that isn't an accurate portrayal of the information. Building mediations off this data would be insufficient as it is based on broken data, in the first place.

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Running head: MEASURING BEHAVIOR

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References Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2007). Applied behavior analysis (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. ISBN: 9780131421134. Cummings, A. R., & Carr, J. E. (2009). Evaluating progress in behavioral programs for children with autism spectrum disorders via continuous and discontinuous measurement. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 42(1), 57-71....