Predicting inner behavior change : precision teaching in the counseling context

• Main Author: Cohn, Michael J.
• Other Authors: Dimick, Kenneth M.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Behavior therapy.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/175581; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/263223

This descriptive study was directed toward the assessment of practical implications in the use of behavioral evaluation procedures in a particular clinical setting. The specific intent of the study was to describe the use of Precision Teaching tools and techniques in evaluating inner behavior change in a mental health setting rather than the more extensively used educational settings.The subjects for the study were volunteers from the researcher's client load at the Ball State University Counseling Practicum Clinic. The study population consisted of seven clients and the researcher as therapist.It was revealed in a review of related literature that inner behaviors were self-monitored and reported using behavioral evaluation procedures. It was also reported that single case research designs and Precision Teaching procedures had been used in programs describing observable behavior change. Research was called for in the area of evaluating the relative effectiveness of accelerating or decelerating behaviors.During the final weeks of the Spring Quarter, 1979 clients obtaining psychological services from the researcher were asked if they would be willing to volunteer to participate in the study. Participating clients were randomly assigned to the acceleration or deceleration groups. Each client negotiated with the researcher to identify two target inner behaviors for monitoring. Clients self-monitored inner behaviors using wrist counters to count behaviors for a period of ten weeks. A multiple baseline research design across behaviors was implemented along with evaluation procedures used with Precision Teaching programs. Interventions were sequentially implemented for each behavior after stable baselines were established. Statistical analysis was conducted between baseline and treatment phases and between acceleration and deceleration groups.Conclusions drawn from this study included:1. The Standard Chart is a very practical instrument for recording inner behavior changes. In this study individuals monitored a total of fourteen different inner behaviors for ten weeks. Over 1000 data points reflecting the occurrence of these behaviors were recorded on the Standard Charts. The Standard Chart provided a concise vehicle for recording an entire behavior change program for each individual.2. Despite certain difficulties the multiple baseline design is manageable in a clinical setting. The multiple baseline design provided a mechanism for determining causality of treatment and independence of behaviors. This design appears to be very useful for the study of inner behavior change in clinical settings.3. The split-middle slopes of the baseline phases described the split-middle slopes in three of eight behaviors in the acceleration group and five of six behaviors in the deceleration group. This means that five of eight acceleration group behaviors changed significantly between baseline and treatment. However, three of the acceleration group behaviors changed in undesirable directions between baseline and treatment, while none of the deceleration group behaviors changed in undesired directions.4. The minimum 'celeration line is a practical guide for predicting the rate at which individual's behavior's must change in order to meet their outcome goals. In each case progress toward outcome goals was clearly discernible utilizing the minimum 'celeration line as a process guide. The minimum 'celeration line is useful in determining if changes need to be made in an individual's program.5. Self-monitoring of inner behaviors is a useful method for obtaining clinical data. Fourteen inner behaviors were self-monitored in this study. Information obtained from the self-monitoring was useful in understanding the process of behavior change.6. In this study outcome goals were more readily determined for deceleration group members than acceleration group members as well as being more readily achieved. Undesired inners were more readily determined than desired inners. No statistical differences between means of the acceleration and deceleration groups were noted. However, more behaviors changed significantly from baseline to treatment phases in the acceleration group than in the deceleration group.7. Inner behaviors investigated in this study were reported reliably and accurately. Examination of changes in the baseline pairs revealed, in the majority of cases, changes after treatment interventions. This result suggests that reliable data were accruing. As noted earlier, accurate reporting of inner behaviors is a prerequisite for validity in self-monitoring. In this study changes in data points recorded on the Standard Charts appeared to correlate with self-reports made by the clients. This suggests that reported results are valid.8. The successful self-monitoring of inner behaviors in this study indicates that behavioral assessment does not have to be limited to observable behaviors.Self-monitoring of inner behaviors provide legitimate and useable sources of data--albeit, private--for evaluating therapeutic process as well as outcome.