Browsing by Author "Stephens, Mary Ann Parris"
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Item Self-observation and report of behavior : accuracy, validity and reactivity(1980) Stephens, Mary Ann Parris; Willems, Edwin P.; Rozelle, Richard M.; Friedrich-Cofer, Lynette; Carbonari, Joseph P.; Halstead, Lauro S.The purpose of this research was to evaluate the dependability (accuracy, validity and reactivity) of a selfobservation and report technique (SORT) for recording persons' ongoing molar activities. While there is a wide variety of observational methods available through which reliable and detailed accounts of behavior can be obtained, most of these methods are too cumbersome and expensive to use on a large scale. The SORT was designed to couple the dependability and directness of measures obtained by independent naturalistic observations with the cost efficiency of self-reporting. Using the SORT, persons are asked to monitor various aspects of their own behavior and to report these events chronologically to a researcher at the end of a specified period of time. In this study, ten hospitalized persons reported their activities, where these activities took place and whether assistance was provided, all for half-day periods. Each person was monitored on all weekdays of two consecutive weeks. During this time, eight SORT records, each covering a 4.5 hour reporting period, were obtained for each person. Reporting accuracy for activities, locations and aid was assessed by comparing self-reported data to data recorded by independent observers during 90-minute intervals overlapping various portions of reporting periods. Brief time-sampled observations conducted at hourly intervals, a mechanical recording device, and behavioral rating forms completed by hospital personnel were used to assess the validity of SORT data. Data obtained via independent observations and the mechanical recorder were compared to similar kinds of data on days when persons were and were not reporting their activities. This strategy permitted an assessment of reactivity, or the extent to which the process of measurement interfered with ongoing patterns of behavior. Findings indicated that self-reports generally met or exceeded the commonly accepted standards for the accuracy for measures used in behavioral assessment. The convergence of SORT data with behavioral data obtained by different methods provided evidence for the validity of the behavioral self-reports. In addition, patterns of performance did not differ significantly on days when persons did and did not report SORT data, indicating that reactivity is not a serious limitation for the SORT. The SORT represents a flexible and cost-efficient method for obtaining dependable data on behavior and it has many potential applications in the conduct of applied behavioral research. The problems, methods, analyses and findings presented in this document are part of a broader multimethod evaluation of the Self-Observation and Report Technique. This larsrer study was designed and executed jointly by the author and Carolyn Norris-Baker. Additional issues and results not addressed in this document are presented in Self-Observation and Report of Behavior: Process and Utilization (Carolyn Norris-Baker, 1980). The results, discussion and conclusions in these two documents are interrelated highly. In order to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the method and its properties, the reader should consult both documents.Item The behavioral ecology of older persons in institutional housing(1978) Stephens, Mary Ann Parris; Willems, Edwin P.; Lachman, Janet L.; Kroeger, Ruth C.With the growing number of relatively healthy and active older persons in our society, there has been a corresponding increase in the demand for institutional housing to meet their needs. Planners and managers of such facilities do not have sufficient objective data about institutional living on which to base programmatic and design decisions. The purpose of this study was to document the everyday behavior of institutionalized older persons in its everyday social and physical contexts. A total of 34 residents were selected from two institutions for the actively retired. In individual interviews conducted at the end of the day, subjects reported their behavioral activities for that day, the places where those activities occurred, and the other persons with whom they interacted. Interviews were scheduled so that data from seven days (a composite week) were obtained for each subject. The findings revealed that the behavioral repertoires of these elderly residents were somewhat docile and restricted in range. Large portions of their daily activities were performed alone, and when socially interactive behaviors occurred, they most often involved other residents. Three institutional settings --the private residential quarters, the dining hall and the central lobby--accounted for all but a small part of the residents' time. Although residents spent almost two thirds of their time in their own rooms, neither social isolation nor behavioral monotony were found there. Institutional size (number of residents) did not appear to have a significant effect on the social participation of residents (e.g., number of activities performed and time spent in social interaction). Other environmental factors, location of residents room and type of setting in which behavior occurred, did exert strong influences on a wide variety of behavior patterns. The daily activities of the residents, the settings they used, and the other people with whom they interacted demonstrated marked similarities across both institutions and different age groups. These ecological data make a contribution to psychology's task of documenting the natural distribution of behavioral phenomena. These data not only provide an objective, quantitative base for making many practical decisions which face environmental designers and agents of behavioral change, but they also add to the general knowledge about aging and behavior.