BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT

Short Question:

1. What do you mean by behavioral assessment?

2. What are types of behavioral assessment?
3. What do you mean by behavioral interview?
4. What are the advantage and disadvantage of behavioral assessment?
5. What is inventory?
6. What is beck depression inventory?
7. What is checklist?

Broad Question:

1. Describe the variable affecting reliability and validity of observation. What are the suggestions
for improving reliability and validity of observations?
2. Briefly describe the observation method.

Q.S: What do you mean by behavioral assessment?

Behavioral assessment: Behavioral assessment is a psychological tool used to observe, describe,

explained predict behavior. This is done to measure and calculate the various factors of behavioral
changes, such as feelings, overt behaviors and controlling variables of individuals.
On the other hand behavioral assessment is done to portray the mindset of the person under study, to
depict what he does and why he does it.

Q.S: What are types of behavioral assessment?

Types of behavioral assessment: There are five types of behavioral assessment. They are,

1. Direct assessment.
2. Analog assessment.
3. Indirect assessment.
4. Idiographic assessment.
5. Contextual assessment.

Direct assessment: This is the study of behavior as it changes during the situation. Also known as
‘Situational Behavioral Assessment’.

Analog assessment: This type of behavioral assessment is done to study the changes under simulated or
made-up situations.

Indirect Assessment: In this type of assessment, the behavior is not observed but inferred through
retrospective analysis.
Idiographic assessment: This type of behavioral assessment describes the behavioral characteristics of the
individual concerned.
Contextual assessment: This type of assessment focuses on the stimuli in the environment that cause the
change in behavior.

Q.S: Why is behavioral assessment ongoing process?

Behavioral assessment is an ongoing process in a way that it occurs before, during, and after treatment.
Behavioral assessment is important because it informs the initial selection of treatment strategies,
provides a means of feedback regarding the efficacy of the treatment strategies employed as they are
enacted in the treatment process, allows evaluation of the overall effectiveness of treatment once
completed, and highlights situational factors that may lead to recurrence of the problematic behavior.

Q.S: What do you mean by behavioral interview?

Behavioral interview: A behavioral interview is an interviews conducted for the purpose of identifying a
problem behavior, the situational factors that maintain the behavior, and the consequences that result from
the behavior.
According to Goldfried & Davison during Behavioral Interview, the clinician attempts to gain a general
impression of the presenting problem and of the variables that seem to be maintaining the problem
behavior.

Q.S: What are the advantage and disadvantage of behavioral assessment?

Advantage of behavioral assessment:

1. It is more precious.
2. Results are realistic.
3. It is a multiple level of assessment.
4. It can’t be faked.
5. It can be used for multipurpose.

Disadvantage of behavioral assessment:

1. Behavioral assessment is time consuming, intensive, and expensive.

2. To conduct behavioral assessment need highly trained assessor.
3. Some of the tools are not standardized.
4. Validity must not be demonstrated.
5. Researcher gets biased.
6. Scope for faking true condition.

Q.S: What is inventory? What is beck depression inventory?

Inventory: An inventory is the catalogue of the contents of something. In psychology the term is applied
broadly with some notion of measurement attached to it.
Beck depression inventory: The BDI was first introduced in 1961, and it has been revised several times
since. The BDI has been widely used as an assessment instrument in set the intensity of depression in
patients who meet clinical diagnostic criteria for depressive syndromes. However, the BDI has also found
a place in research with normal populations, where the focus of use has been on detecting depression or
depressive ideation.

Q.S: What is checklist?

Checklist: Checklist is a list of a actions, response, or other behaviors that are to be recorded each time
they are observed, as by an experimental investigator study participant or clinician.

Q.S: Describe the variable affecting reliability and validity of observation. What are the suggestions for
improving reliability and validity of observations?

Variables Affecting Reliability of Observations: Many factors can affect the reliability of observations.
The following is a good sample of these factors.

Complexity of Target Behavior: Complexity of target behavior may affect the reliability of observation. If
the target behavior more complex then it greater opportunity to unreliability. While the less complex
behavior indicates the observation is more reliable. For example, observations about what a person eats
for breakfast are likely to be more reliable than those centering on interpersonal behavior.

Training Observers: There is no substitute for the careful and systematic training of observers. If the
observers are not well trained, careful or experienced then there is a chance to unreliability. For example,
observers who are sent into psychiatric hospitals to study patient behaviors and then make diagnostic
ratings must be carefully prepared in advance.

Variables Affecting Validity of Observations: Many factors can affect the validity of observations. The
following is a good sample of these factors.

Content Validity: A behavioral observation schema should include the behaviors that are deemed
important for the research or clinical purposes at hand. Usually clinician who develops the system also
determines whether or not the system shows content validity. If the systems reach the clinicians goal then
observation may valid.

Concurrent Validity: Another way to approach the validity of observations is to ask whether one’s
obtained observational ratings correspond to what others are observing in the same time frame.

Construct Validity: Observational systems are usually derived from some implicit or explicit theoretical
framework. The observer must maintain construct validity for better result.

Observer Error: Another factor that affects the validity of observation is observer error. No one is perfect.
Observers must be monitored from time to time to ensure the accuracy of their reports. Sometimes they
simply miss things then the observation invalid.

Reactivity: Another factor affecting the validity of observations is reactivity. When the patients
sometimes react to the fact that they are being observed they changing the way they behave called
reactivity and due to reactivity the observation may invalid.
Mechanics of rating: It is important that the unit of analysis to be specified. Unit of analysis is the length
of time observations will be made along with the type and number of responses made.
Ecological validity: One of the biggest problems in psychology is referred to many years ago as
ecological validity. The basic question is whether or not clinicians do obtain really representative samples
of behavior. If the samples truly representative the behavior then the observation may valid.

Suggestions for Improving Reliability and Validity of Observations: The following suggestions are
offered as ways to improve the reliability and validity of observational procedures.
1. Clinicians have to decide on target behaviors that are both relevant and comprehensive. He should
specify direct and observable behaviors that can be defined objectively.
2. Clinicians have to work as much as possible from an explicit theoretical framework that will help
define the behaviors of interest.
3. Authority should employ trained observers whose reliability has been established and who are
familiar with the objective.
4. Clinicians have to make sure that the observational format is strictly specified.
5. Clinicians should be aware of such potential sources of error in the observations as bias and
fluctuations in concentration.
6. He has to consider the possibility of reactivity on the part of those being observed and the general
influence of awareness that they are being observed.
7. He should give careful consideration to issues of how representative the observations.

Q.S: Briefly describe about observation method.

Observation method: Observation method: Simply Observation means watching what people do. Also it
means that the way of collecting data through observing.

In psychology the observation method can be described as a method to observe and describe the behavior
of a subject that involves watching a participant and recording relevant behavior for later analysis.

Stages of observation: We can divide the total observation process into 4 stages. These are,
1. Selection: Selecting a particular aspect of observation.
2. Recording: To keep an account about the observed aspect in writing or some other permanent
form.
3. Analysis: Examining the element or structure of the observed aspects in detail.
4. Interpretation: Explaining the aspects of the observation or providing measurements.

Types of observation: There are two types of observation. These are,

1. Naturalistic Observation
2. Controlled Observation
Naturalistic Observation: Naturalistic observation is an information collecting process in which people or
other subjects are observed in their natural settings.

Examples of naturalistic observation:

1. Home Observation
2. School Observation
3. Hospital Observation
Home observation: The most well regarded systems for home observation is the Mealtime Family
Interaction Coding System which is based on the McMaster Model of Family Functioning. This
observational system involves the use of a videotaped interaction of the entire family eating at mealtime,
without the presence of a clinician or researcher.

School observation: It is a naturalistic observation in which clinicians observe or watching the children in
their class rooms or play ground. An example of school observation is Achenbach’s revised Direct
Observation Form of the Child Behavior checklist. The DOF is used to assess problem behaviors that may
be observed in school classrooms or other settings. It consists of 88 problem items as well as an open-
ended item that allows assessors to indicate problem behaviors not covered by these items. In this way, a
more reliable and stable estimate of the child’s level of behavior problems in the classroom can be
obtained.

Hospital observation: It is a observational technique used in such settings as psychiatric hospital, mental
retardation centre. To made careful observation of behavior much more feasible than in more open,
uncontrolled environments. An example of a hospital observation measure is the Time Sample Behavior
Checklist that can be used with chronic psychiatric patients and helpful in providing a comprehensive
behavioral picture of the patient.

Advantage of naturalistic observation:

1. Allows researchers to directly observe.
2. Natural behaviors.
3. More valid
4. Allows researchers to study ideas that cannot be manipulated otherwise.

Disadvantage of naturalistic observation:

1. Outside influences.
2. Difference of opinion.
3. Difficult to keep it natural.
4. Can take a long time.

Controlled observation: Controlled observation is a research method where researchers watch participants
in a contained environment. In controlled observation, the researcher controlled all the tools use to
complete the study.

Advantage of controlled observation:

1. Less time consuming than other observation method.

2. It is more reliable.
3. It is more standard.

Disadvantage of controlled observation:

1. Lack of validity.
2. Biasness may occur.

Additional part: How behavioral assessment different from traditional approach?