Clinical Psychology: Chapter 9 Behavioral Assessment emWhat is Behavioral Assessment? * An assesstnent approach that focuses on the interactions between situations ‘and behaviors for the purpose of effecting behavioral change How does it differ from Traditional Assessment? t Behavioral Assessment emphasizes direct assessments (naturalistic observations) of problematic behavior, antecedent (situational) conditions, and consequences (reinforcement). Ithas a central feature namely the functional analysis, in where careful analyses are made of the stimuli preceding a behavior and the consequences following from it to gain a precise understanding of the context and causes of behavior. Itis an ongoing process, occurring at all points throughout the treatment,SORC Model (Kanfer & Phillips, 1970) -a useful model for conceptualizing a clinical problem from a behavioral perspective. + S=stimulus or antecedent conditions that bring on the problematic behavior * O=organismic variable related to the problematic behavior + R=response or problematic behavior + C=Consequences of the problematic behaviorBehavioral Assessment Methods Behavioral Interviews * Interviews conducted for the purpose of identifying a problem behavior, the situational factors that maintain the behavior, and the consequences that result from that behavior. + Behavioral Interviews are used to obtain a general picture of the presenting problem and of the variables that seem to be maintaining the problematic behavior. Observation Methods * Aprimary technique of behavioral assessment. It is often used to gain a better understanding of the frequency, strength, and pervasiveness of the problem behavior as well as the factors that are maintaining it. + It provide the clinician with an actual sample (rather than a self - report) of the problematic behavior.Observation Methods Natural Conditions * Behavior typically and spontaneously occurs. Home Observation * Behavioral Goding System (8CS) developed.by Patterson (1977) and his colleagues RR Jone, Reid, & Patterson (1975). This observational system wos designed for use in the homés of pre - delinquent boys who exhibit problems in the areas of aggressiveness and non - compliance School Observation * Achenbach’s (1994) Direct Observation Form (DOF) of the Child Behavior Checkist. It's used to assess problem behaviors that may be observed in school classrooms or other settings Hospital Observation + Time Sample Behavioral Checkist (ISBC) developed by Gordon Paul and his associates (Mariotto & Paul, 1974). Itis a time ~ sample behavioral checklist that con be used with Chronic psychiatic patients. Time ~ sample means that observations are made af regular intervak for a given patient, Controlled Conditions + Simulated or contrived conditions. The environment is designed to such that itis likely that the assessor will observe the targeted behavior or interactions.Controlled Performance Technique * An assessment procedure in which the clinician places individuals in carefully controlled performance situations and collects data on their performance/behaviors, their emotional reactions, and/or various psycho physiological indices. Self - Monitoring + An observational technique in which individuals observe and record their own behaviors, thoughts, or emotions (including information on timing, frequency, intensity and duration), + Clients are asked to maintain behavioral logs or diaries over some predetermined time period.Role - Playing Methods A technique in which patients are directed to respond the way they would typically respond if they were in a given situation. The situation may be described to them, or an assistant may actually act the part of another person Cognitive - Behavioral Assessments + An assessment approach recognizing that the person's thought or cognitions play an important role in behavior.Variables Affecting Reliability of Observations Complexity of Target Behavior + The more complex the behavior to be observed, the greater the opportunity for unreliability. + Behavioral assessment typically focuses on less complex, lower level behaviors (Haynes, 1998). + Observations about what a person eats (lower level behavior) are likely to be more reliable than those centering on interpersonal behavior (higher level, more complex behavior.) Training Observers Observer Drift: a phenomenon in which observers who work closely together subtly, and without awareness, begin to drift away from other observers in their ratings Observers who are sent into paychictric hospitals fo study patient ehaviors and then make diagnostic ratings must be carefully prepared in advance. To guard agains! observer riff, regularly scheduled reliability checks should be conducted and feedback provided to raters.Variables Affecting Validity of Observations Content Validity + A behavioral observation schema Construct Validity should include the behaviors that + Observation systems are usually are deemed important for the derived from some explicit or tesearch or clinical purposes at implicit theoretical framework hand. Concurrent Validity Mechanics of Rating + Another way to approach the validity of observations is to ask whether one's obtained observational ratings corresponds to what others are observing in the same time frame. + Itis important that a unit of analysis be specified. A unit of analysis is the length of time observations will be made, along with the type and number of responses to be considered.Variables Affecting Validity of Observations * Observer Error No one is perfect. Observers must be monitored form time to time to ensure the accuracy of their reports. Sometimes, they simply miss things or else believe they have observed things that never really happened » Reactivity Patients or study participants sometimes react to the fact that they are being observe by changing the way they behave. Itcan severely hamper the validity of observations because it makes the observed behavior unrepresentative of what normally occurs. Ecological Validity In the context of behavioral assessment, the extent to which the behaviors analyzed or observed are representative of a person's typical behavior.