Specify targets. This is a most crucial concern in observing behaviors. Select targets that are personally, interpersonally, organizationally, or socially significant and potentially changeable. Try...

Specify targets. This is a most crucial concern in observing behaviors. Select targets that are personally, interpersonally, organizationally, or socially significant and potentially changeable. Try to identify discrete indicators for the target. For example, if the client states a concern in terms of vague attributes, motives, or other conditions, try to translate this into discrete events (what is he doing when he is acting “strange”?). Think about each target in terms of pinpointing it into “units of behavior” that can be observed and counted. In order to facilitate an accurate count, each of these behavioral units can be defined as a cycle that has a beginning and an end. Be as specific as possible. Each behavior unit can be defined in terms of either how often it occurs (its frequency) or how long it occurs (its duration). (We describe these types of recording methods in more detail later in this chapter.) Think about each target in terms of who is doing what, to what extent, and under what conditions. Remember, though, you’re still defining the target. You may not develop the goal until much later in the process, for example, after baseline data are collected. However, generally, goals are closely related to targets; for example, feelings of depression might be the target, and the reduction of these feelings the goal.