Behavioral Observation

Behavior

“You can observe a lot by just watching.”Yogi Berra

Behavior What people do

How people move and what they say, think, and feel

Not what people have (e.g., depression, anxiety, self-esteem)

Overt Behavior Can be observed by others, at least

theoretically e.g., binge eating; bullying; illegal drug use;

spousal abuse; time spent with child or spouse; time spent interacting by nursing home residents number of completed Tx tasks; number of times a parent compliments his or her child

Covert Behavior Occurs within the individual and can not

be observed directly by others e.g., positive, self-deprecating, or irrational

thoughts; time spent feeling anxious, under stress, or overwhelmed; time spent craving alcohol or drugs; time spent ruminating about some concern

Direct Observation

Observation of overt behavior by outside observers

Self-Monitoring

Systematic observation and recording by a person of his or her behavior or other experiences, either covert or overt

Thought records and similar forms that you can download and use in your practice: http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/freedownloads2.htm

Ideal Characteristics of Behavioral Observation Conducted in real-time Conducted in the natural environment Conducted repeatedly over time

Purposes Pinpoint and define behaviors targeted

for intervention Explore and clarify the dynamic

contexts in which targeted behaviors occur

Measure and monitor client progress

Decide What Dimension of Behavior to Measure Counts (frequency)

Number of times a behavior occurs, usually within some time period (e.g., hour, day), ignoring the duration ofthe behavior

Duration Length of time a behavior occurs

Counts Used when the number of times a

behavior occurs needs to be increased or decreased

Behavior must have a clear beginning and ending, and different occurrences must last about the same duration

Count

Count

Rate Count per unit of time Rate used if observation times differ

count / time

Duration Used when the time a behavior occurs

needs to be increased or decreased Behavior must have a clear beginning

and endingDuration

Duration

Rate Duration per unit of time Rate used if observation times differ

duration / time

Additional Dimensions of Behavior Response latency

Time it takes for a behavior to occur in relation to the occurrence of some stimulus

Interresponse time Time between occurrence of two instances

of the same response Magnitude

Strength, intensity, or force of a behavior

Behavior Products Effects or results of behaviors

e.g., urine toxicology analysis for drugs; completed school assignments; number of child safety risks in a home

Decide Whether to Collect Contextual Information Clarify environmental conditions that

cause or maintain behavior Develop interventions based on

environmental conditions that cause ormaintain behavior

Decide When and Where to Observe Behavior Samples used when not practical or

efficient to observe continuously Samples provide estimates of the

frequency, duration, or other dimensions of a behavior

Accuracy of estimates depends on how similar the sampled observations are to observations made at other times and in different circumstances

Time Samples Behavior observed during selected fixed

or random times believed to be representative of the behavior

Typically involves recording all instances of a behavior, but only for selected periods of time

Useful when behavior occurs at a high frequency, or observer only available at limited times

Samples can be fixed or random, but should be consistent over time

Situation Samples Typically involves recording all instances

of a behavior, but only in selected situations

Useful when behavior only occurs in a limited number of situations

Selected situations should be consistent over time

Analog Situations Contrived situations designed to elicit

representative samples of behaviors Paper-and-pencil Role-play Enactment

Paper-and-Pencil Analog

Client asked to respond orally or in writing to a situation presented in written form

Role-PlayClient asked to visualize a situation in the natural environment and his or her response to it, or to act out situations with the practitioner or others (e.g., in group therapy) role-playing relevant people

Enactment AnalogClient interacts in the agency or clinical setting with people he or she has difficulty interacting with in the natural environment

Instruments for Recording Behavior Keep it simple, unobtrusive, likely to be

used e.g., golf score counters, pedometers, small

notebooks or cards, stopwatch Google “behavioral observation” and

“smartphone” to see what’s new

Ensure Accurate Observations Define target behaviors clearly and

specifically Select representative times and

situations if samples are used Record behavior immediately after its

occurrence Train and retrain observers

Ensure Accurate Observations (cont’d) Monitor observers Make observers as inconspicuous as

possible to minimize reactivity Don’t inform relevant others or

independent observers of expected changes in clients’ behavior, if possible

Verifying Reliability

Check interobserver reliability, if possible and practical

Child’s Problems Rated by Mother and Father

Reliability Counts

smaller count / larger count Duration

smaller duration / larger duration

Verifying Validity Compare observations to a standard

(criterion validity) Compare observations to other

measured variables, if predicted relationships

Marital Conflict and Depression

Minimizing Reactivity in Direct Observation Observers should be as unobtrusive as

possible Observers’ presence should be

explained to those being observed in simple, matter-of-fact language

Observers should follow all formal and informal rules of the observational setting

Minimizing Reactivity in Direct Observation (cont’d) Observers should enter the setting

during the least disruptive time, such as before, rather than during, a session

Observers should spend time in the setting before data collection, so that everyone is accustomed to their presence

Set Goals and Objectives Relatively straightforward:

e.g., eliminating self-injurious thoughts and behaviors; smoking; enuresis; panic attacks; binge eating or purging; bullying, migraine headaches, truancy; theft; spousal abuse, sexual abuse, animal abuse, or other forms of violence; illegal drug use; binge drinking or other forms of excessive alcohol consumption; or driving while intoxicated

Set Goals and Objectives (cont’d) Matter of degree and need to be more

individualized: e.g., time spent sleeping; exercising;

reading or talking with children; doing homework or studying; interacting with family or friends; feeling anxious, under stress, or overwhelmed; or ruminating about some concern

Set Goals and Objectives (cont’d) Products of behavior change:

e.g., maintaining a healthy blood glucose level or blood pressure, avoiding psychiatric hospitalization, losing or gaining weight, getting good grades, having more friends, or getting a full-time job

Advantages of Behavioral Observation Sensitive measure of change Avoids recall biases associated with

retrospective reports Useful for measuring outcomes with

young children and others with limited verbal ability

Less subject to rater biases

Precautions in Using Behavioral Observation Observer’s presence may produce an

unrepresentative sample of behavior Sometimes difficult to observe in the

natural environment Observation in the natural environment

may be costly and impractical