Post on 18-Jan-2016
Behavioral Observation
Behavior
“You can observe a lot by just watching.”Yogi Berra
Behavior
What people do How people move and what they say, think,
and feel Not what people have (e.g., depression,
anxiety, self-esteem)
Overt Behavior
Can be observed by others, at least theoretically e.g., binge eating; bullying; illegal drug use;
spousal abuse; time spent with child or spouse; time spent interacting by nursing home residents number of completed Tx tasks; number of times a parent compliments his or her child
Covert Behavior
Occurs within the individual and can not be observed directly by others e.g., positive, self-deprecating, or irrational
thoughts; time spent feeling anxious, under stress, or overwhelmed; time spent craving alcohol or drugs; time spent ruminating about some concern
Direct Observation
Observation of overt behavior by outside observers
Self-Monitoring
Systematic observation and recording by a person of his or her behavior or other experiences, either covert or overt
Thought records and similar forms that you can download and use in your practice: http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/freedownloads2.htm
Ideal Characteristics of Behavioral Observation Conducted in real-time Conducted in the natural environment Conducted repeatedly over time
Purposes
Pinpoint and define behaviors targeted for intervention
Explore and clarify the dynamic contexts in which targeted behaviors occur
Measure and monitor client progress
Decide What Dimension of Behavior to Measure Counts (frequency)
Number of times a behavior occurs, usually within some time period (e.g., hour, day), ignoring the duration ofthe behavior
Duration Length of time a behavior occurs
Counts
Used when the number of times a behavior occurs needs to be increased or decreased
Behavior must have a clear beginning and ending, and different occurrences must last about the same duration
Count
Count
Rate
Count per unit of time Rate used if observation times differ
count / time
Duration
Used when the time a behavior occurs needs to be increased or decreased
Behavior must have a clear beginning and ending
Duration
Duration
Rate
Duration per unit of time Rate used if observation times differ
duration / time
Additional Dimensions of Behavior Response latency
Time it takes for a behavior to occur in relation to the occurrence of some stimulus
Interresponse time Time between occurrence of two instances
of the same response Magnitude
Strength, intensity, or force of a behavior
Behavior Products
Effects or results of behaviors e.g., urine toxicology analysis for drugs;
completed school assignments; number of child safety risks in a home
Decide Whether to Collect Contextual Information Clarify environmental conditions that
cause or maintain behavior Develop interventions based on
environmental conditions that cause ormaintain behavior
Decide When and Where to Observe Behavior Samples used when not practical or
efficient to observe continuously Samples provide estimates of the
frequency, duration, or other dimensions of a behavior
Accuracy of estimates depends on how similar the sampled observations are to observations made at other times and in different circumstances
Time Samples
Behavior observed during selected fixed or random times believed to be representative of the behavior
Typically involves recording all instances of a behavior, but only for selected periods of time
Useful when behavior occurs at a high frequency, or observer only available at limited times
Samples can be fixed or random, but should be consistent over time
Situation Samples
Typically involves recording all instances of a behavior, but only in selected situations
Useful when behavior only occurs in a limited number of situations
Selected situations should be consistent over time
Analog Situations
Contrived situations designed to elicit representative samples of behaviors Paper-and-pencil Role-play Enactment
Paper-and-Pencil Analog
Client asked to respond orally or in writing to a situation presented in written form
Role-PlayClient asked to visualize a situation in the natural environment and his or her response to it, or to act out situations with the practitioner or others (e.g., in group therapy) role-playing relevant people
Enactment AnalogClient interacts in the agency or clinical setting with people he or she has difficulty interacting with in the natural environment
Instruments for Recording Behavior Keep it simple, unobtrusive, likely to be
used e.g., golf score counters, pedometers, small
notebooks or cards, stopwatch Google “behavioral observation” and
“smartphone” to see what’s new
Ensure Accurate Observations Define target behaviors clearly and
specifically Select representative times and
situations if samples are used Record behavior immediately after its
occurrence Train and retrain observers
Ensure Accurate Observations (cont’d) Monitor observers Make observers as inconspicuous as
possible to minimize reactivity Don’t inform relevant others or
independent observers of expected changes in clients’ behavior, if possible
Verifying Reliability
Check interobserver reliability, if possible and practical
Child’s Problems Rated by Mother and Father
Reliability
Counts smaller count / larger count
Duration smaller duration / larger duration
Verifying Validity
Compare observations to a standard (criterion validity)
Compare observations to other measured variables, if predicted relationships
Marital Conflict and Depression
Minimizing Reactivity in Direct Observation Observers should be as unobtrusive as
possible Observers’ presence should be
explained to those being observed in simple, matter-of-fact language
Observers should follow all formal and informal rules of the observational setting
Minimizing Reactivity in Direct Observation (cont’d) Observers should enter the setting
during the least disruptive time, such as before, rather than during, a session
Observers should spend time in the setting before data collection, so that everyone is accustomed to their presence
Set Goals and Objectives
Relatively straightforward: e.g., eliminating self-injurious thoughts and
behaviors; smoking; enuresis; panic attacks; binge eating or purging; bullying, migraine headaches, truancy; theft; spousal abuse, sexual abuse, animal abuse, or other forms of violence; illegal drug use; binge drinking or other forms of excessive alcohol consumption; or driving while intoxicated
Set Goals and Objectives (cont’d) Matter of degree and need to be more
individualized: e.g., time spent sleeping; exercising;
reading or talking with children; doing homework or studying; interacting with family or friends; feeling anxious, under stress, or overwhelmed; or ruminating about some concern
Set Goals and Objectives (cont’d) Products of behavior change:
e.g., maintaining a healthy blood glucose level or blood pressure, avoiding psychiatric hospitalization, losing or gaining weight, getting good grades, having more friends, or getting a full-time job
Advantages of Behavioral Observation Sensitive measure of change Avoids recall biases associated with
retrospective reports Useful for measuring outcomes with
young children and others with limited verbal ability
Less subject to rater biases
Precautions in Using Behavioral Observation Observer’s presence may produce an
unrepresentative sample of behavior Sometimes difficult to observe in the
natural environment Observation in the natural environment
may be costly and impractical