Define behavior – page 03

Define behavior – page 03

Modify terms that may confuse other persons.

Check your definition. If the following terms are used, please revise the definition:

• nouns
• vague descriptors that may have different meanings to different observers
• descriptions of internal states, personality traits, emotions, feelings, moods, attitude, needs, characteristics, learning styles, types of intelligence, or thinking processes
• descriptions of the student’s intention

Non-examples (avoid definitions that look like these):

Reading skill, attention deficit, hyperactivity, attitude, aggression.
These terms are nouns. Remember to use verbs when defining behavior.

Distractible, defiant, aggressive, poor, bad. daydreamer, tantrum, outburst, or meltdown.
Terms like the above are somewhat vague. This is a problem because they may have different meanings to different observers.

Angry, hostile, abusive, lacking impulse control, disrespectful, inattentive, wants constant attention.
Terms like the above attempt to describe internal states, personality traits, emotions, feelings, moods, attitude, needs, characteristics, learning styles, types of intelligence, or thinking processes. This is a problem because they may have different meanings to different observers. They also are not directly observable.

… to retaliate, to cause harm, meant to injure, intended to disrupt, to get revenge.
Terms like the above infer the student’s intention and are not directly observable. These terms may be removed from the definition.

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