Observable and Measurable Behavior
•It is not enough in ABA to say what we think people assume about a particular behavior. For instance, we would never say, “Johnny was super hyper today.” What does “hyper” mean exactly? And “Super”? This is not a definition because it is not observable because it is not defined in behavior specific terms and it cannot be measured. Sorry “super” is not an ABA measurement! So what could be a better measurement of behavior?
•Example: Johnny ran from one side of the classroom to another 10 times in 2 minutes for 6 instances on Monday morning from 8AM-10AM
“Defining Behavior: How to Appropriately Create an Operational Definition.” Psych Central, 13 Feb. 2020, psychcentral.com/pro/child-therapist/2020/02/defining-behavior-how-to-appropriately-create-an-operational-definition#Observable-and-Measurable. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.