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Behavior
Typically, the definition of behavior can be divided into two categories: observable and unobservable. Observable behavior constitutes anything that an individual does that can be measured by another individual. For example, eating, running, and reading aloud are all types of observable behaviors. The observer watches and records the occurrence of each targeted behavior of the person being observed (e.g., the number of times a student raises his or her hand), thus providing measurements of the observable behavior. Examples of unobservable behaviors are thinking, imagining, learning, reading silently, and analyzing; all of which cannot be accurately recorded and measured because they are internal events. To determine if an unobservable behavior is occurring or has occurred, individuals such as educators and psychologists often devise tests and subjective questionnaires that can measure and quantify the behavior. These tests and questions are attempts at making the unobservable, in fact, observable.
Labels such as autism, schizophrenia, learning disability, and attention deficit disorder are names given to a group of observable behaviors that generally aid in describing individuals and their characteristics. For example, if a child is labeled autistic then one expects to see particular behaviors such as mimicking others' statements and engaging in stereotypies or repetitive behaviors (e.g., rocking back and forth, hand-flapping, and finger-waving). Furthermore, a label of autism would signify behaviors such as a lack of social response, moving away from others when touched, poor performance on verbal tests, and an absence of self-care skills.
The Origins of Behavior
The occurrence of a behavior is generally attributed to biology or environment. However, it is generally accepted that most behavior can be ascribed to both. Developmental psychologists have demonstrated that humans follow a sequential occurrence of behavior, particularly during infancy and early childhood. For example, most human beings roll over before they crawl or walk. These developmental sequences appear to be heavily influenced by biology, but can be manipulated by the environment as well. Learning theorists have shown that many academic behaviors are influenced by environment, although biology also plays an important role (e.g., an individual with retardation may learn more slowly than an individual without retardation). Determining the initial source (nature or nurture) of a behavior is unproductive in the manipulation of behavior, because the exact source of a behavior is almost always a complex relation between both nature and nurture. Also, similar manipulative techniques will be employed regardless of whether the behavior is rooted in nature or nurture.
Traumatic events, both biological and environmental, can have lasting effects on behavior. In fact, some antisocial behaviors can be attributed to reoccurring traumatic experiences. Many behavioral and cognitive therapies focus on trying to help individuals resolve these traumatic experiences and reverse unproductive patterns of behavior so that they can continue or initiate productive lives. They do this by trying to change contingencies as well as helping individuals understand why they behave in the manner that they do. This understanding can often help the individuals change their environment and their reaction to such behavioral historical stimuli so that they can behave in a more appropriate manner.
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- Assessment
- Academic Achievement
- Adaptive Behavior Assessment
- Applied Behavior Analysis
- Authentic Assessment
- Behavioral Assessment
- Bias (Testing)
- Buros Mental Measurements Yearbook
- Career Assessment
- Classroom Observation
- Criterion-Referenced Assessment
- Curriculum-Based Assessment
- Fluid Intelligence
- Functional Behavioral Assessment
- Infant Assessment
- Intelligence
- Interviewing
- Mental Age
- Motor Assessment
- Neuropsychological Assessment
- Outcomes-Based Assessment
- Performance-Based Assessment
- Personality Assessment
- Portfolio Assessment
- Preschool Assessment
- Projective Testing
- Psychometric G
- Reports (Psychological)
- Responsiveness to Intervention Model
- Social–Emotional Assessment
- Sociometric Assessment
- Written Language Assessment
- Behavior
- Consultation
- Demographic Variables
- Development
- Diagnosis
- Disorders
- DSM-IV
- Adjustment Disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Bipolar Disorder (Childhood Onset)
- Communication Disorders
- Conduct Disorder
- Depression
- Dyslexia
- Echolalia
- Fears
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Learning Disabilities
- Mental Retardation
- Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Pedophilia
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
- Psychopathology in Children
- Reactive Attachment Disorder of Infancy and Early Childhood
- Selective Mutism
- Separation Anxiety Disorder
- Somatoform Disorders
- Stuttering
- Ethical/Legal Issues in School Psychology
- Family and Parenting
- Interventions
- Issues Students Face
- Learning and Motivation
- Legislation
- Medical Conditions
- Multicultural Issues
- Peers
- Prevention
- Reading
- Research
- School Actions
- School Personnel
- School Psychologist Roles
- Careers in School Psychology
- Consultation: Behavioral
- Consultation: Conjoint Behavioral
- Consultation: Ecobehavioral
- Consultation: Mental Health
- Counseling
- Diagnosis and Labeling
- Home–School Collaboration
- Multidisciplinary Teams
- Parent Education and Parent Training
- Program Evaluation
- Reports (Psychological)
- Research
- Responsiveness to Intervention Model
- School Reform
- School Psychology Organizations
- American Board of Professional Psychology
- American Psychological Association
- Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs
- Division of School Psychology (Division 16)
- International School Psychology Association
- Licensing and Certification in School Psychology
- National Association of School Psychologists
- School-Related Terms
- School Types
- Schools as Organizations
- Special Education
- Statistical and Measurement Terms
- Student Problematic Behavior
- Technology
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