Behvior Assessment Flashcards
Behavior assessment
Identify and describe target behaviors
Identify possible causes of target behavior
Select appropriate treatment strategies to modify behaviors
Evaluate treatment outcomes
Minimal phases of program
Screening/intake
Forms and reason for seeking service
Preprogram/baseline assessment
Asses levels of target behavior prior to treatment
Identify possible controlling variables of behaviors to be changes
Treatment
Follow up
Determine whether improvements have been maintained after treatments
Graphs
Frequency: rate of instances of behavior in a given time period
Self-charting: to track client progress
Cumulative: average slope
Interval: number of responses occurred during time period
Time sampling: dividing observation period into equal intervals and record target behavior within each interval
Types of functional assessment
Interview and questionnaire:
Consistent way to gather information
Saves time by potential reinforces
Observation:
Observe and describe antecedents and consequences of behavior in natural setting
Form hypothesis about antecedents and consequences
Major causes of problem behaviors
Maintained by social reinforcement
External sensory positive reinforcement
Social negative reinforcement
Internal sensory negativity reinforcement
External sensory negative reinforcement
Respondent or elicited problem behaviors
Medical causes of problem behaviors
Maintained by social reinforcement
Attention from others:individual approaches attention given prior to disruptive behavior
Smiles prior to disruptive behaviors
Treatment: give attention at other times
Reduces attention to behaviors
Self-stimulation: behavior is self reinforcing
Continues at a steady rate
Treatment: includes sensory stimulation of alternative behaviors
Reduced stimulation level of behavior
External sensory positive reinforcement
External sensory reinforcement:
Behavior maintained by reinforcing sight and sounds from non social external environment
Behavior continues undiminished even if it has no social consequences over numerous occasions
Treatment: sensory reinforcement of desirable alternative behavior
Social negative reinforcement
Individuals engage in behavior only when certain demands/ requests made
Escape from aversive stimulus or undesirable demands
Treatment: persists with requests until compliance
Teach others response
Programs where level of difficult of requested behavior starts low and increases
Internal sensory negative reinforcement
Child scratching face to relieve unpleasant sensations caused by allergic reaction
External sensory negative reinforcement
Squinting into bright light
Covering ears to escape loud noise
Respondent or elicited problem behavior
Behavior elected rather than controlled by consequences
Aggression by aversive stimuli
Behavior seems involuntary
Treatment: establishing one or more responses that compete with problem behaviors
Medical causes of problem behaviors
Problem emerges suddenly and does not seem to be related to any changes in individual’s environment
Behavioral diagnosis:
Therapists diagnosis problem after examining antecedents, consequences and medical and nutritional variables as potential causes of problem behaviors
Development of treatment plan based on diagnosis
Token economies
Tokens earned for desirable behaviors and exchange them for back up reinforces
Advantages of tokens economies
Can be given immediately
Pieced with different up reinforces
Consistent and effective reinforcers for individuals in different motivational states
Setting up and managing token economy in target behaviors
Type of individuals involved
Short-long range objectives s
Specific behavioral problems that interferes with objects
Baselines and data
Keep date to evaluate program’s effectiveness
Tokens are
Durable
Easy to handle
Difficult to steal
Difficult to counterfeit
Select back up reinforces
Avoid ethical problems
Can’t deprive someone of something that legally and morally belong to them
Access to back up reinforcers occur weekly, trading points earned for privilege
Use response costs reduces to punish inappropriate behaviors
Managing back up reinforcers
Consider general way to dispersing
Store , commissary and box teacher’s desk
Record keeping and adequate inventory
Decide token price if each back up reinforcers
Higher price for items in demand
Therapeutic value of back up reinforcers
Ethical considerations
Must take precautions to avoid abuse
Make system unlicensed to avoid abuse
Cognitive restructuring methods
2 assumptions:
Individuals interpret and react to event cognitively <- perceived significance to others
Defective/ maladaptive cognitions -> behavioral/ emotional disorders
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)
Helps people identify and change irrational thoughts
ABC theory:
A= activating events B= belief C= consequences
Back’s cognitive therapy
Faulty thought pattern -> behavioral/ emotional problems
Dichotomous thinking
Overgeneralization
Arbitrary influence
Magnification
Self directed coping methods by Meichenbaum
Self- instructional training:
Teaches client to identify internal stimuli <- stressful situations
Use self talk to counteract negative statements in stressful situations
Take appropriate actions
Make self reinforcing action
