Chapter 20 Behavioral Assessment Initial Considerations Study Questions 1 What does the term target behavior mean Illustrate with an example from an earlier chapter Target behaviors are the behaviors to be improved in a behavior modification program An example of a target behavior would be cigarette smoking 2 Define behavioral assessment Behavioral assessment involves the collection and analysis of information and data in order to a identify and describe target behavior b identify possible causes of the behavior c select appropriate treatment strategies to modify the behavior and d evaluate treatment outcome 3 List the four phases of a behavior modification program A screening or intake phase A preprogram assessment phase A treatment phase A follow up phase 4 What are the five functions of the intake phase of a behavior modification program One function of the screening phase is to determine whether a particular agency or behavior modifier is the appropriate one to deal with a potential client s behavior A second function is to inform the client about the agency s or practitioner s policies and procedures related to service provision A third function is to screen for the presence of a crisis condition child abuse suicide risk etc that might require immediate intervention A fourth function of the screening phase is to gather sufficient information through client interview and psychological tests such as intelligence tests to diagnose the client according to the standardized categories of mental disorder A fifth function of the screening phase is to provide specific information about which behavior s should be assessed 5 What two things typically occur during the assessment phase of a behavior modification program The behavior modifier assesses the target behavior to determine its level prior to the introduction of the program or treatment and analyzes the individual s current environment to identify possible controlling variables of the behavior to be changed 6 In what types of settings are the terms training program therapy program and intervention strategy typically used In education settings and community and clinical settings 7 What is the purpose of the follow up phase of a behavior modification program The follow up phase is conducted to determine whether the improvements achieved during treatment are maintained after the program s termination 8 What is prerequisite to the design and implementation of a behavior modification program Defining target behaviors clearly completely and in measurable terms is an important prerequisite to the design and implementation of behavior modification programs 9 Briefly distinguish between direct and indirect assessment procedures 10 11 12 13 14 15 Indirect assessment procedures would be interviews with the client and significant others questionnaires role playing information from consulting professionals or client self monitoring Observation of a person s behavior by another individual constitutes a direct assessment procedure Describe two circumstances that might lead to the use of indirect assessment procedures The client might enact being interviewed for a job with the therapist playing the role of the interviewer An example of a third party behavioral checklist or rating scale for use with individuals with developmental disabilities is the Objective Behavioral Assessment of the Severely and Moderately Mentally Handicapped The OBA The OBA enables third party informants who are familiar with the client s behavior to rate whether the client can perform a variety of tasks such as putting on a shirt or tying shoelaces Briefly describe the advantages and disadvantages of indirect assessment procedures Indirect assessment procedures have the advantages of being convenient not requiring an inordinate amount of time and potentially providing information about covert behaviors However they suffer from the disadvantages that those providing information might not remember relevant observations accurately or have biases that would influence them to provide inaccurate data List the five main types of indirect assessment procedures Interviews with the client and significant others Questionnaires Role playing Information from consulting professionals Client self monitoring List and describe briefly four types of questionnaires used in behavioral assessments Life history questionnaires provide demographic data such as marital status vocational status and religious affiliation and background data such as sexual health and educational histories Self report problem checklists have the client indicate those problem s from a detailed list that apply to him or her Survey schedules provide the therapist information needed to conduct a particular therapeutic technique with the client Third party behavioral checklists or rating scales permit significant others and professionals to subjectively assess the frequency and quality of certain client behaviors Briefly describe the advantages and disadvantages of direct assessment procedures The main advantage of direct assessment procedures is that they are more accurate than indirect assessment procedures Disadvantages of direct assessment procedures are that they are time consuming require that observers by appropriately trained and cannot be used to monitor covert behaviors Give six reasons for collecting accurate data during an assessment or baseline phase and throughout a program 16 17 18 19 One reason is that as indicated at the beginning of this chapter an accurate behavioral preprogram assessment helps the behavior modifier to decide whether he or she is the appropriate one to design a treatment program A second reason is that an accurate baseline will sometimes indicate that what someone thought to be a problem is actually not one A third reason is that data collected during the preprogram assessment phase often helps the behavior modifier identify both the causes of a behavior and the best treatment strategy A fourth reason for collecting accurate data throughout a program is that it provides a means for clearly determining whether the program is producing the desired change in behavior A fifth reason for accurately recording behavior is that publicly posted results preferably in the form of a graph or a chart can prompt and reinforce behavior modifiers for carrying out a program A final reason for recording data is that the displayed data might lead to improvements by the learner separately from any