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Essentials of Observing Behavior

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Handbook of Applied Behavior Analysis

Part of the book series: Autism and Child Psychopathology Series ((ACPS))

Abstract

Behavior observation is an integral component in the field of applied behavior analysis to instill effective behavior change. In this chapter, we describe the historical roots of behavior observation that can be traced back to the early foundations of radical behaviorism. Next, we unpack the importance of selecting target behaviors, precisely defining target behaviors, and measuring target behaviors. We describe common strategies that are used to measure behavior including direct methods, derivative measures, and time sampling. Moreover, crucial elements of optimum behavior measurement including reliability, accuracy, and validity are explored. Last, we describe strategies for calculating interobserver agreement (IOA) drawing on several examples designed to highlight differences between each of the IOA strategies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Art Dowdy

  2. University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA

    Kenneth W. Jacobs

  3. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, IL, USA

    Jennifer Quigley

  4. Queens College, Queens, NY, USA

    Joshua Jessel

  5. University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

    Corey Peltier

Authors
  1. Art Dowdy
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  2. Kenneth W. Jacobs
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  3. Jennifer Quigley
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  4. Joshua Jessel
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  5. Corey Peltier
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Art Dowdy .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    Johnny L. Matson

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Dowdy, A., Jacobs, K.W., Quigley, J., Jessel, J., Peltier, C. (2023). Essentials of Observing Behavior. In: Matson, J.L. (eds) Handbook of Applied Behavior Analysis. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19964-6_19

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