Area 4: Behavioral Assessment Flashcards
What are the primary characteristics of and rationale for conducting a descriptive assessment?
..encompases ____ observation of behavior and observations are made under ____ occurring conditions
Rationale – to ____ and _____ information about behavior and its circumstances.
AND…____ hypotheses regarding the need for or _____ to behavior analysis _____.
…encompases direct observation of ABCs under naturally occurring conditions
- Essential to the decision to intervene, where to intervene, how to intervene, and the identification of functional relations
- DOES NOT permit the same degree of determination of functional relations between behavior and its stimulus conditions as in the procedures involving systematic manipulation of variables under controlled conditions
- useful to the extent that they provide a basis for hypothesized functional relationships between problem behavior and the environment
- Used subsequently to identify events that may be correlated with target behavior
…Rationale – to obtain and organize information about behavior and its circumstances. AND…Develop hypotheses regarding the need for or alternatives to behavior analysis services.
What are the 3 variations of descriptive analysis?
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ABC Continuous Recording: Coded ABCs are taking during a period of time using partial interval, momentary time sampling, or frequency recording
* A and C’s are recorded regardless of whether the target behavior occurred
+ may reflect causal relations, likely to provide useful info for designing a functional analysis, not require disruption to the person’s routine.
- correlation may be difficult to detect
2. ABC Narrative Recording: data are collected only when behaviors of interest are observed and recording in open-ended
+ less time consuming
- accuracy, may identify functional relations that do not exsist
3. Scatterplots: recording the extent to which a target behavior occurs more often at particular times than others by dividing the day into blocks of time
+ identify time periods during which the behaviors occur and can be useful in pinpointing periods of the day to conduct further assessment
- unclear whether temporal patterns are routinely evident, accuracy may be difficult, subjective nature of “a lot” and “some”
The 4-steps involved in an FBA process are:
- Gather information via indirect and descriptive assessment
- Interpret information from indirect and descriptive assessment and formulate hypotheses about the purpose of the problem
- Test hypotheses using functional analyses
- Develop intervention options based on the function of the problem behavior
State the rationale for conducting a functional analysis as a form of assessment:
- ONLY method that allows practictioners to confirm hypotheses regarding functional relations between problem behavior and environmental events.
- Two responses of the same topography can be vastly different behaviors depending on the controlling variables (e.g., saying the word fire while reading it, is different from yelling “FIRE!” when seeing flames)
- Used to identify the type and source of reinforcement for challenging behaviors as the basis for intervention efforts designed to decresase the occurrence of those behaviors.
- It is a reinforcer assessment of sorts as it identifies the reinforcers currently maintaining problem behavior :)
- Reinforcement-based interventions are more likely to be implemented than are interventions that include a punishment component
- Intervention based on FBAs are likely to be more durable
- Greatly decrease the likelihood that the use of ineffective or unnecessary procedures will be selected.
FBA interventions can consists of what 3 strategic approaches?
- Altering antecedent variables
- Altering consequent variables
- teaching alternative behaviors
Functional analyses typically are comprised of 4 conditions:
- Contingent attention
- Contingent escape
- Alone-low levels of environmental stimulation (therapist, task materials, and play materials are absent)
- A control condition-play (w/ reinforcement is freely available and no demands are placed)
What are some limitations of experimental functional analysis??? (6)
- Process may temporarily strengthen or increase the undesirable behaviors to unacceptable levels
- Result in the behavior acquiring new functions
- Can be counterintuiitive to persons who do not understand its purpose
- Some behaviors may not be responsive to functional analyses
- FBAs in contrived settings might not detect the variable that accounts for the occurrence.
- Professional expertise is required
Name 4 Indirect FBA methods?
- Interviews
- Checklists
- Rating Scales
- Questionnaires
What are some advantages of Indirect FBAs?
+ may guide more objective assessments
+ contribute to the development of hypotheses
+ may be more convenient
What are some limitations of Indirect FBAs?
- informats may not have accurate, unbiased recall of target behavior and conditions
- lack of empirical data to support validity and interrater agreement
The intevention should be f_____ e______ to problem behavior.
The intevention should be functionally equivalent to problem behavior.
What is pattern analysis?
Give an example:
…the examination of data to identify occurrences (what time) or non-occurrences or variations in the extent of occurrence of a response class across time frames and other factors.
Example: Head-banging is most likely to occur early in the morning at home, right before lunch at school, right before school is out, and right before bed-time.
In a functional analysis, controlling variables are identified through the systematic manipulation of environmental factors while…
…Measuring specific dimensions of behavior.
What is sequence analysis?
Give an example:
…the systematic presentation and/or examination of information in an ABC format where A represents antecedents or stimuli preceding behavior, B is the behavior, and C symbolizes the consequences or stimuli following the behavior
Example: Head-banging typically occurs when a request is made by the father or the teacher. This typically results in termination of the demand.
