Presented by
David Trembath, PhD
Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University
Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University
The first step is to define the target behaviour (dependent variable)
- This is the behaviour we are attempting to increase or decrease.
- It needs to be a behaviour that is clinically relevant and socially valid.
In defining the behaviour for an N1 design, we must ensure that it is:
- Objective: That it can be easily seen, observed, and counted in the natural world.
- Clear: When defined, the definition must be easily understood by a lay person and/or naive observer.
- Complete: When defined, it must be immediately clear to the observer what ‘the behaviour is’ and what ‘the behaviour isn’t’.
Activity
Now that you have identified the behaviour (dependent variable) that you want to change in your intervention, you now need to define it.
Write down your target behaviour, and ask yourself the following questions:
- Is this behaviour Objective?
- Is this behaviour Clear?
- Is this behaviour Complete?
If you answered ‘No’ to any of the above criteria, you will need to either re-define the target behaviour, or select a different target behaviour that will meet the three criteria.