Area 7: Displaying and Interpreting Behavioral Data

Question 1

What are the 6 benefits of graphic display and visual analysis of behavioral data?

Answer 1

1. Provides immediate access to an ongoing visual record
2. Enables exploration of interesting variations in the behavior as they occur
3. Serve as judgement aids that are easy and do not require data to conform to certain mathematical properties
4. It’s a conservative method for determining the significance of behavior change
5. Encourage independent judgments and interpretations
6. Effective sources of feedback

Question 2

Name the 5 types of visual formats most often used in ABA:

Answer 2

1. Line graphs
2. bar graphs
3. cumulative records
4. semilogarithmic charts
5. scatterplots

Question 3

What are the 2 major functions of bar graphs in ABA?

Answer 3

1. displaying and comparing discrete sets of data that are NOT related to one another
2. give a visual summary of the performance of a participant or group of participants during the different conditions

Question 4

What do bar graphs sacrifice?

Answer 4

the presentation of the variability of trends

Question 5

When are cumulative graphs preferable to a noncumulative line graph? (4)

Answer 5

1. When the total number of responses made over time is importante or when progress toward a specific goal can be measured in cumulative units of behavior.
   * Example: # of new words learned, dollars saved, miles trained, etc.
2. When the graph is used as a source of feedback for the participant
3. When the target behavior is one that can occur or not occur only once per observation session
4. Can reveal the intricate relations between behavior and environmental variables

Question 6

Scatterplot recording is a procedure for recording the extent to which a target behavior ___ more often at particular ___ than others.

Answer 6

Scatterplot recording is a procedure for recording the extent to which a target behavior occurs** more often at particular **times than others.

Question 7

What are the advantages of scatterplots? (2)

Answer 7

+ They identify time periods during which the problem behavior occurs.

+ Useful in pinpointing periods of the day when more focused ABC assessments might be conducted to obtain additional info regarding the function of the problem behavior

Question 8

What are limitations of scatter plots? (3)

Answer 8

• little is know about their utility
• obtaining accurate data with scatterplots may be difficult
• The subjective nature of the ratings of how the behavior occurs (“a lot” vs. “some”) can contribute to difficulties with interpretation

Question 9

Visual analysis of data from an ABA study is conducted to answer 2 questions:

Answer 9

1. Did behavior change in a meaningful way?
2. If so, to what extent can that change in behaivor be attributed to the IV??

Question 10

Data within a given condition are examined to determine: (4)

Answer 10

1. the number of data points
2. the nature and extent of variability in the data
3. the absolute and relative level of the behavioral measure
4. the direction and degree of any trend(s) in the data

Question 11

Visual analysis is considered a(n) ________ method for determining the social significance of behavior change.

Answer 11

Conservative

Question 12

Logarithmic scales are an appropriate graphing format when _______ change is of particular interest.

Answer 12

Proportional

Question 13

A scatterplot shows the _________ distribution of individual measures in a data set with respect to the variables depicted by the both the x- and y-axes.

Answer 13

Relative

Question 14

Equal interval line graphs are used for:

Answer 14

Tracking daily changes in rate within and across conditions

Question 15

When one has a discrete variable on the horizontal axis of a graph one should use a:

Answer 15

Bar graph

Question 16

What is typically found on the horizontal axis of a graph?

Answer 16

Time