Prioritizing Behavior
Overview
The first step in completing your FBA is to identify and prioritize the target behaviors to address. In doing so, you should incorporate values of compassion and cultural humility when conducting an FBA. You can refer to the Capella Compassion Code [DOCX] for more information.
Complete the following in a Word document:
Part 1: Selecting the Target Behaviors
Select three target behaviors to address. You can select the concerning behaviors of someone you know, such as a learner, family member, or friend. Remember, this assignment is just for practice; therefore, dual relationship should not be violated and consent is needed. You can also select a character from a television show or a movie. All assignments in this course will be based on the individual and the target behaviors you choose in this first assignment. The final assignment in Week 9 will be a functional behavior assessment (FBA) addressing the selected target behaviors for your chosen person or character.
Part 2: Rationale for Selecting Behaviors for Intervention
Use the Worksheet for Prioritizing Potential Behaviors [DOCX] to prioritize the selected behaviors you have chosen to address. Use the key as identified on page 8, Table 1-1 of your Functional Assessment text to carefully rank the target behaviors by the extent to which it meets or fulfills each prioritization criterion. You may add NA (not applicable) and UNK (unknown) to the key. You can copy the table of the worksheet to your assignment, adhering to APA formatting. After completing the table, explain the rankings you have chosen for your behaviors. Be sure to include how you have considered social validity and cultural variables when prioritizing the behaviors.
Part 3: Writing Operational Definitions
For each of the three concerning behaviors, write an operational definition that is objective, clear, and complete.
- Objective refers to unambiguous description of the behavior; void of mentalistic words. An operational definition that meets the objective criteria is one that is observable and measurable.
- Clear refers to what a person says or does; the topography is clearly defined in such a manner that two observers will have a high agreement when the behavior is observed.
- Complete refers to the boundaries of what is included and excluded. To discriminate the boundaries of the operational definition, include examples and non-examples with minimal differences.
Additional Requirements
Your assignment should meet the following requirements:
- Written communication: Should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
- APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style guidelines. Review Evidence and APALinks to an external site. for more information on how to cite your sources.
- Resources: A sufficient number of scholarly or professional resources. Resources should include the course texts, and a combination of seminal works.
- Length: 2–3 double-spaced pages.
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.
Note: You may choose to save the Worksheet for Prioritizing Potential Behaviors [DOCX] to use as a template for your future work.