CH05 - Quality of Measurement

Question 1

Validity

Answer 1

a) Directly MEASURES a SOCIALLY SIGNIFICANT behavior
b) Measures a DIMENSION of the behavior RELEVANT to the QUESTION.

• Meaningful
• Relevance

Question 2

Accuracy

Answer 2

OBSERVED VALUE MATCHES the true value.

• True Value

Question 3

Reliability

Answer 3

Measurement yields the SAME VALUES across REPEATED MEASUREMENTS of the same event

• Consistent Measures.

The more observed values from repeated measurement of the same event differ from one another, the less the reliability.

Question 4

Discontinuous measurements

Answer 4

any form of measurement in which SOME INSTANCES of the response class of interest may NOT be DETECTED.

____________ measurement; no matter how accurate and reliable—may yield data that are an artifact.

Continuous measurement is the gold standard of ABA.

Question 5

Three Threats to measurement

Answer 5

1. INDIRECT Measurements
   
   • Measuring a behavior other than the behavior of interest
2. Measuring the WRONG THING or DIMENSION of behavior.
3. Measurement ARTIFACTS.

Question 6

Measurement Bias

Answer 6

a form of INACCURATE MEASUREMENT in which the data consistently OVERESTIMATE or UNDERESTIMATE the TRUE VALUE of an event.

Question 7

Trustworthy Data

Answer 7

Measurement must be both VALID and ACCURATE.

Question 8

Measurement artifacts

Answer 8

DATA gives MISLEADING PICTURE due to how it was measured

a. DISCONTINUOUS measurement
b. POORLY SCHEDULED measurement periods
c. INSENSITIVE or limiting measurement SCALES

A measurement __________ is something that appears to exist because of the way it is measured.

Question 9

Threats to Measurement Accuracy and Reliability

Answer 9

*Human ERROR (biggest error)

1. POORLY DESIGNED measurement system.
   • Cumbersome • Difficult to use • Complex
2. INADEQUATE TRAINING
   • Systematic Training. • Train to competency standard • On-going training to minimize observer drift.
3. UNINTENDED INFLUENCE on observers

Question 10

Observer Drift

Answer 10

OBSERVERS ALTER, unknowingly the way they are MEASURING.

• unintended changes in the way data is collected.
• observers expand or compress the original definition of the target behavior.

expectations that the target behavior should occur at a certain level under particular conditions, or change when a change in the environment has been made.

Question 11

Observer Reactivity

Answer 11

1. measurement error from an OBSERVERS AWARENESS of the data being EVALUATED.
2. a participant’s awareness of their bx BEING OBSERVED