Question: Part 1: Prioritizing Target Behaviors
Resources
Microsoft Word icon PSY7701 Learner Guidelines for Evaluation of Discussion Contributions.
In this Instructor Contact Session, you will hear your instructor talk about how to prioritize a set of behaviors for intervention and how to observe and define human behavior in observable and measurable terms. Listen to the lecture and take notes. Then post a substantive response to the following discussion question:
Discuss the variables to be considered in prioritizing problem behaviors for intervention.
Part: Functional and Topographical Behaviors
Resources
Microsoft Word icon PSY7701 Learner Guidelines for Evaluation of Discussion Contributions.
In this Instructor Contact Session, you will hear your instructor talk about the components of a good definition for behavior. Many learners have experience with definitions for behavior that include the presumed "cause" of the behavior. For example, you may hear tantrum behavior described as "Mary is having a tantrum because she comes from a broken home". In ABA, we must provide a topographical description of what the behavior looks like first before we gather information about the antecedents and consequences. The starting point for a functional behavior assessment is to define the behavior in clear, objective and complete terms so it can be measured.
For this discussion, observe two different individuals for 10-20 minutes at home, workplace or in the community. Post a substantive response to the following:
How was your observation "unobtrusive"?
Briefly describe the setting and the individual you observed.
Provide a topographical definition of the behavior in 1-2 sentences following the guidelines from your text:
Be sure that each definition meets Hawkins and Dobes'' three characteristics (bottom of page 67) and Morris''s three criteria for testing a definition (pages 68-69) as described in the Applied Behavior Analysis textbook.
The definitions should not include inferences (for example, about internal states or thoughts), or include background, diagnostic, or historical information about the persons you observed.