Behavioural Assessment

Behavioural Assessment

1. Phases of a Program

   • (1) Screening / Intake
     • general info
     • determine if agency/modifier is the appropriate one to deal with behaviour
     • Inform client about policies and procedures
     • detect crisis conditons requiring immediate intervention
     • gather info through interview and tests for possible diagnoses
   • (2) Pre-Program Assessment
     • assess level of target behaviour pre- treatment
   • (3) Treatment Phase
     • design program to bring desired behaviour change
   • (4) Follow-Up Phase
     • Are achievements maintained

2. Sources of Information for Pre-Program Assessment

   • Indirect Assessment Procedures
     • Interviews with client and significant others
       • initially requires developing of rapport
       • (a) help client identify major problem areas
       • (b) select 1 or 2 areas for initial treatment focus
       • (c) translate problem into behavioural deficits/excesses
       • (d) attempt to indentify controlling variables of behaviour
       • (e) identify behavioural objectives of treatment
     • Questionnaires
     • Role-Playing
     • Information from consulting Professionals
     • Client Self-Monitoring
     • advantages
       • convenient
       • not usually time consuming
       • provide info about covert behaviours
     • disadvantages
       • biases
       • inaccurate recollection
   • Direct Assessment Procedures
     • advantages
       • more accurate
     • disadvantages
       • time consuming
       • training of observers
       • cannot monitor covert behaviours
     • Characteristics to be considered
       • Topography
         • is the specific movements in making the response
           • such as having a picutre to evaluate breast stroke movement
       • Amount
         • Frequency
           • number of instances in a given time
         • Duration
       • Intensity
       • stimulus control
         • degree of correlation between a stimulus and a response
       • latency
         • length of time between occurrence of stimulus and beginning of behaviour
       • Quality
     • Strategies for Recording Behaviour
       • Continuous Recording
         • recording every instance of a behaviour over a period of time
           • ideal for responses similar in duration (saying a word/smoking etc)
       • Interval Recording
         • logs the behaviour as either occuring or not occuring during short intervals of equal duration
           • two types
             • Partial-Interval Recording
               • record if the behaviour occurs at all during the interval period
             • Whole-Interval recording
               • record the behaviour only if it occurs through the entire interval period
       • Time-Sampling Recording
         • short interval within a much larger observation period (which is typically repeated)
   • Experimental Assessment Procedures
   • Computer-Assisted Data Collection
     • great for gathering self-monitoring data

3. Why Collect Data Pre-Treatment

   • determines whether treatment appropriate by this practitioner
   • accurate baseline might help determine whether a problem actually exists
   • will often help identify the cause of the behaviour
   • helps evaluate if the program is producing the desired change
   • helps prevent assumptions of program effectiveness
   • posted results help to reinforce and prompt behaviour modifiers (clients)
   • reactivity: knowing behaviour is being observed

4. Assessment of the Accuracy of Observations

   • 3 error sources
     • response definition might be vague etc
     • observational situation might not be condusive to accuracy of recording
     • observer might not be trained, unmotivated etc
   • Interobserver Reliability (IOR)
     • two observers