Behavior modification

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Behavior modification

3rd Class

Functional assessment

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Today‘s task

•Carry out the first steps of Behavioral Assessment of PROCRASTINATION

(counterproductive postponing of tasks to later time)

▫Define the current and target behavior (how you know it)

▫Perform Functional analysis

 Stick to ABC format - generate as much as possible As and Cs

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Behavioral assessment – typical steps

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Functional assessment - steps

1. Gather information via indirect and descriptive assessment

2. Interpret information from indirect and descriptive assessment

3. Test hypothesis using functional analysis 4. Develop intervention options based on

the function of problem behavior

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4 Assessment Methods

•Goal: Enable to formulate hypotheses

•INDIRECT

▫Interviews

▫Checklist

•DIRECT

▫Standardized tests

▫Direct observation

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Interview

•Do not ask WHY but WHAT and WHEN

•Focus on environmental conditions before, during and after a behavioral episode

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Example

•Case: Teacher you yells at disruptive students

▫In your own words, can you define the problem behaviors that prompted your request?

▫When you engage in negative attention, what happens usually immediately BEFORE that behavior occurs?

▫What usually happens AFTER you yell at the students?

▫What are the students reactions when you yell?

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Behavior checklist and rating scales

•Provides descriptions of specific

behaviors and the conditions under which each behavior should occur.

•You can use:

▫Published checklists

▫Create specific situation or skills checklist.

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Example: Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach)

•Acts too young for his/her age.

•Afraid to try new things.

•Avoids others to look in the eye.

•Can´t concentrate, can´t pay attention for long.

•Gets too upset when separated from parents.

0= Not True

1= Somewhat or Sometimes True 2=Very True or Often True

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Standardized tests

•Officially published

•Performance and personality tests

•Same administration procedure, same questions, same scoring.

•Population norms

•Main problem: Results cannot be directly translated into target behavior - not

situation specific results

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Examples

Raven´s matrices

Torrance Creativity test

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Direct observation

•Anecdotal or ABC observation

•We record descriptive, temporally

sequenced account of all behavior of

interest, antecedents and consequences of behavior as it occurs in natural

environment.

•Usually 20-30 minutes, repeating periods

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Example: ABC anecdotal form

Time Antecedents Behavior Consequences 18.40 Teacher asks students

for their examples Student is quiet Teacher is showing

surprise and waits.

18:41 Teachers verbally

encourages the students

Student is quiet Teacher starts to move

nervously ad look at the colleague.

18:42 Teacher holds the eye contact and tries to smile

A student responds

Teacher is happy, listens and praises the student for

sharing his example.

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4 Assessment Methods

•Goal: Enable to formulate hypotheses

•INDIRECT

▫Interviews

▫Checklist

•DIRECT

▫Standardized tests

▫Direct observation

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Procrastination Part 1 - Interview

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Exercise

•Form pairs

•Carry out the interview with you partner, in which you should:

▫Identify the problematic & target behaviors in observable and measurable terms

▫Identify the antecedents and consequences

•Use when & what questions!

•Do not help each other!

•You have 8+8 minutes

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Functional assessment - steps

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Now we have hypotheses.

Now what?

•We need to plan next steps:

▫Select hypotheses to be tested

▫Design testing approach to each hypothesis

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Selecting hypotheses to be tested

•Perform scoring on ALL hypothesis

•Higher the score = higher the impact of a given factor

•Sort the hypotheses

•Select first few and proceed with the next step

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Design testing approach to each hypothesis

•Group design can not be used :(

•Single case design

▫ Baseline period

▫ Intervention period

▫ ABAB design

•Multiple baseline design

•Alternating treatments design

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Procrastination

Part 2: Scoring & testing

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Exercise

•In pairs:

▫Perform scoring of your hypothesis and design testing approach for first 2 of them

•You have 10 minutes

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Functional assessment - steps

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Field observation Deadline: 28^th March

Maximum range: 2 pages

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Homework assignment

• Select one person in his/her natural environment

• Perform at least 30 minutes non-intrusive observation of his/her interaction

• Record the data according to methodology explained today

▫Use ABC recording form – download at dl.cuni.cz

▫Follow Instructions for assignment (next slide)

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Instructions for assignment

• Write down everything that subject does, says and everything that happens to the person

• You can use your abbreviations, but expand them immediately after the observation ends

• Record action that are seen or heard, not you interpretations

• Record the temporal sequence of each response of interest by writing down what happened just before and right

after it

• Record the estimated start time of each behavioral episode

▫ Optionally also end time

• Be as unobtrusive as possible

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Discussion

[The end of the today's class]