Behavioral Observations

Abstract

Direct observation of a child’s or adolescent’s overt behavior has held a revered status in the clinical assessment of youth. Frequently, the validity of other methods of assessment is judged by their correspondence with direct observations of behavior. In fact, behavioral observation is often viewed as synonymous with the practice of behavioral assessment (Shapiro & Skinner, 1990). There are two primary reasons for this importance provided to direct observations. First, as the term direct implies, observations of behavior are not filtered through the perceptions of some informant. Instead, the behaviors of the child are observed directly. As we have discussed in the chapters on behavior rating scales, information provided by others in the child’s environment or by the child himself or herself can be influenced by a host of variables and biases. This increases the complexity of interpreting these types of assessment by requiring assessors to account for these influences in their interpretations. Therefore, direct observations of behavior eliminate a great deal of the complexity in the interpretive process. Second, direct observations of behaviors frequently allow for the assessment of environmental contingencies that are operating to produce, maintain, or exacerbate a child’s behavior. For example, direct observations can assess how others respond to a child’s behavior, or they can detect environmental stimuli that seem to elicit certain behaviors. By placing the behavior in a contextual framework, behavioral observations often lead to very effective environmental interventions.