PSYC 164

Psychology 164:

Behaviour Management

Observing and Recording Behaviour

Behavioural Assessment Observation Periods (when is behaviour most likely to occur?)

• Natural Settings versus contrived settings

▪ Natural Settings: Daily setting for the client. The observer goes into that environment and observes the client as he/she goes about daily activities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4wy1wQZgwI

▪ Advantage? Most accurate account of what is happening in real life situation in real time.

▪ Disadvantage? Limited to what behaviours the individual chooses to engage in that day (behaviour may not always occur)

Behavioural Assessment

 Contrived Settings: These are artificial settings set up for the study of behaviours we

might not see out in the natural world. For example:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTsewNrHUHU

 It would be impossible to do this observation in a natural setting because it is unlikely that a

parent would leave his/her small infant in this specific way.

 Advantages to Contrived: Can observe behavioural phenomenon that we might not be able to observe

in natural life. We have more control over the variables (i.e. we can manipulate when child is left alone,

for how long, when a stranger is present/absent, etc.)

 Disadvantages to Contrived: behaviour is not as spontaneous or natural, so may not be as

representative of “real life.”

Structured versus Unstructured Observations

• Structured: there is a specific behaviour we want to see so we arrange a specific task or environmental event to occur so that the behaviour is triggered.

• I was asked to observe a small boy with Down Syndrome, who was apparently beginning to tantrum and self-harm (pushing his work off the table and hitting his head with the palms of his hands) whenever he was asked to do school work. This observation was structured, as I needed to see the teacher specifically engage him in this task.

• Unstructured: We just observe whatever unfolds as the observation occurs.

Reactivity

• Reactivity: what is it and how to avoid it!

• Reactivity occurs when the person being observed becomes aware of the observer’s presence and his/her behaviour changes as a result.

• Ways to avoid it:

• Be discreet. Pretend you are engaged in a different task, sit a comfortable distance away, use recording techniques that are less obvious (moving beads from one pocket to another to count frequency, for example) Cell phones are AWESOME for this purpose. ☺

• Use recording equipment instead (video, audio recording devices)

• Stay in observation period long enough for client to lose interest

• Observation rooms specially designed with observation mirrors.

Life Hack:

Don’t do

THIS →

Types of Recording • Continuous Recording: take data throughout the entire observation period

• Frequency: How often the behaviour occurs

• Duration (real time): recorded from time behaviour starts until it stops

• Intensity: force of the behaviour (decibel level of singing, impact of a slap)

• Latency: measured from the end of a stimulus to the beginning of a behaviour (e.g. if I ask you “What is your name if it starts with the 18th letter of the alphabet?” The time between the end of my question and the start of your answer is latency. We use it as a measure of learning and will return to it later in the course.

• Product: measure the outcome of behaviour (number of math problems completed, amount of trash left in the theater at the end of a movie, etc.)

• Interval Recording: data taken at pre-determined intervals during observation period

• E.g. dividing a 10 minute observation period into ten, one minute intervals. Observe individual once during each minute, if engaging in the behaviour, check the box for that interval. If not, box is left blank.

Activity

• What type of recording would you use for each of the following?

a. Incorrectly pronounced words

b. Homework assignments submitted

c. Correct math problems

d. Items assembled

e. Being "on task"

f. Humming (decide whether its humming a tune or just uttering

"Hmm.")

• Submit your answers to Discussion section, if you’d like feedback (not for marks)