Every number on a graph starts with a description of behavior. If that description is vague, two people watching the same session will record two different things. This lesson shows you how to describe what a learner does, and the situation it happens in, so that anyone on the team could see it and measure it the same way.
Why it matters
Your supervisor writes the formal definitions for each target behavior, but you use them all day: when you take data, write session notes, and tell the team what happened. A clear description lets you and a coworker agree on whether the behavior occurred, which is what makes data trustworthy. It also helps your supervisor figure out why behavior happens, because patterns in the setting (what came right before and after) are often the best clues.
On the exam, expect to pick the most objective description from a list, spot the word that makes a description subjective, or choose how to rewrite a vague note.
Key ideas
- Observable means you can see or hear it. "Threw the cup onto the floor" is observable; "was angry" is not, because anger is a guess about an internal state.
- Measurable means you can count it, time it, or otherwise quantify it. A description should make clear when one instance starts and stops, so it can be counted or timed.
- Describe actions, not labels or reasons. Words like aggressive, defiant, lazy, manipulative, upset, or wanted attention summarize or interpret behavior. Replace them with what the person actually did and said.
- Apply the dead man's test. If a dead person could "do" it (sit still, not talk, not hit), it is not a behavior. Describe something the learner actively does instead, such as "writes answers on the worksheet" rather than "does not talk during work time."
- Describe the setting too. Note where it happened, who was there, what activity was going on, what happened right before the behavior (antecedent), and what happened right after (consequence). These are observable facts as well.
- Good definitions pass three checks. They are objective (only observable features), clear (a new staff member could read it and restate it accurately), and complete (they say what counts and what does not).
Definitions
- Observable: able to be seen or heard by another person, whether in the room or watching a video of the session.
- Measurable: able to be counted, timed, or otherwise quantified with a dimension such as frequency, duration, or latency.
- Operational definition: a written description of a target behavior in observable, measurable terms, often with examples, non-examples, and start and stop criteria, so different observers record it the same way.
- Topography: the form of a behavior, meaning what it looks like or sounds like (for example, "strikes the table with an open palm").
- Antecedent: what happens in the environment immediately before a behavior.
- Consequence: what happens in the environment immediately after a behavior.
Examples from a session
Rewriting vague descriptions
- Vague: "Jamal had a meltdown at school." Observable: "During independent math in the classroom, Jamal (age 9) pushed his worksheet off the desk and screamed for about 2 minutes."
- Vague: "Rosa was noncompliant." Observable: "At the clinic, after I said, 'Put the blocks in the bin,' Rosa (age 4) walked to the window and did not touch the blocks within 10 seconds."
- Vague: "Mr. Lee was anxious before his appointment." Observable: "At home, before leaving for a medical appointment, Mr. Lee (age 34) paced from the kitchen to the front door 6 times and said, 'Do we have to go?' 3 times."
- Setting description: "Home, 4:15 p.m., living room. Present: learner, mother, younger sibling. Activity: mother asked the learner to turn off the tablet. Behavior: learner screamed and dropped to the floor. Right after the behavior, the mother gave the tablet back."
Notice what the rewrites add: the specific action, the place and activity, numbers when you have them, and the exact words people said. Notice what they leave out: guesses about feelings, motives, or diagnoses. If you think a learner may be in pain or upset, you can share that concern with your supervisor, but record what you saw (for example, "held his ear and cried") as the fact.
Common mistakes / exam traps
- Writing a feeling or trait as if it were behavior. "Frustrated," "bored," and "aggressive" are interpretations. The exam's correct answer almost always names a specific action.
- Stating the function as fact. "Hit to get attention" includes a hypothesis about why. Identifying function is your supervisor's job through assessment; you describe the hit and what happened around it.
- Leaving out boundaries. "Hitting" alone leaves questions: Does a light tap count? A high five? Good definitions spell out what counts and what does not.
- Using vague amounts. "Cried a lot" or "a few times" cannot be compared across sessions. Give a count or a time.
- Describing only the behavior. Without the antecedent and consequence, the team loses the information that helps explain the behavior.
- Changing a definition on your own. If a definition is unclear or does not match what you see, ask your supervisor. Recording by your own private rule makes the data inconsistent.
Exam trap
If two answer choices both sound reasonable, pick the one a stranger could check by watching a video of the session. Anything that requires reading the learner's mind is not observable.
Exam trap
Label vs. behavior: "aggressive" or "defiant" sums up many possible actions, so two observers could disagree about what happened. The better choice names the action itself, such as "pushed a peer's shoulder," with a count or time when one is given.
Quick check
Which session note describes the learner's behavior in observable, measurable terms?