Operational Definitions
Think about certain terms used in the field of psychology, for example, “anxiety.” If you ask someone what it means to be anxious, he/she may respond with “isolation and avoiding contact with others.” Someone else may respond with “getting butterflies in the stomach.” Yet a third person may respond with “sweating heavily and feeling jumpy.” All are true, but unless you define what you mean by anxiety, you may miss someone who considers him or herself anxious. This is why operational definitions are so important, especially in applied behavior analysis. Everyone who is working with a child needs to know the exact behavior and techniques being used. Without that knowledge, different people may be looking for different things, and there will be no consistency in your understanding of the behavior or in the intervention designed to deal with that behavior
For this Assignment, you will examine behavior in your own life and the need for clarity in describing it, and you will rewrite a set of objectives using observable and measurable terms.
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity. Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
To Prepare
· Consider and choose a behavior in your own life. Define it so that it would be clear to anyone who sees your definition. In other words, he or she could read the definition and record its frequency without needing any elaboration.
· Similarly, consider the importance of clarity for teachers and parents when discussing a child’s behavior.
· Review this week’s Learning Resources video Observing Problem Behaviors , which shows a child exhibiting a target behavior. Review the video at least three times before completing this Assignment. While watching the video:
· Identify the target behavior the child is exhibiting
· Define the target behavior in observable and measurable terms
· Review the “Behavior Objectives Worksheet” in this week’s Learning Resources. You will use this worksheet to rewrite each objective using observable and measurable terms as well as to write an operational definition of the target behavior you identify in the “Observing Problem Behaviors” video.
Assignment (1–2 pages)
Use the “Behavior Objectives Worksheet” from this week’s Learning Resources to:
· Rewrite each objective using observable and measurable terms.
· Write a one-paragraph operational definition of the target behavior you identified in the video.
Be sure to support your Assignment with specific references to behavior-analytic theory and research. In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or the internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your Assignment. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources.
By Day 7 of Week 1
Submit your “Behavior Objectives Worksheet” Week 1 Assignment.
Submission Information
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Rubric
PSYC_6731_Week1_Assignment_Rubric
