H1 State Intervention Goals in Observable & Measurable Terms Part 1 Flashcards
An advantage of functional definitions of behavior over topographical definitions is that functional definitions
All the above:
Focus intervention on the variables that control the behavior.
Allow for more accurate measurement of a response class.
Include all the behaviors in a response class.
Encompass all relevant forms of a response class.
A child who loves to eat cookies steals them everywhere. Which would be the best definition?
Taking cookies without permission
An operational behavioral definition should
Be clearly written and easily readable by a general audience.
Refer only to observable characteristics of the behavior.
Delineate what counts as a response and what does not.
Self-injury keeps changing forms. The original target behavior was head hitting. Three more self-injurious behaviors have been added. A functional assessment indicates an attention function. Consider
Defining the behavior functionally
Staff have been measuring the frequency of head hitting on a particular resident. They have noted a decrease in head hitting but the resident continues to have open wounds on his face. Staff have recently noted that he also scratches himself. Instead of head hitting, staff should be measuring
Any contact between the resident’s head and his hand or another surface that could produce injury if repeated.
A topographical definition should be used when
The function of a behavior is unknown or cannot be observed.
Each occurrence of the behavior does not produce the same outcome.
The relevant outcome is produced by undesirable variations of a response.
Behaviors can be defined
Functionally or topographically
A functional definition of behavior is one that identifies instances of a target behavior by its
Typical outcome
A topographical definition of behavior is one that identifies instances of a target behavior by its
Appearance or form
