Chapter 4- Measuring Behavior Flashcards
Measurement
The process of applying quantitative labels to describe and differentiate objects and natural events.
Repeatability
AKA countability, frequency. Instances a behavior can occur repeatedly through time.
Temporal extent
Every instance of behavior occurs during some amount of time. Duration
Temporal locus
Every instance of behavior occurs at a certain point in time with respect to other events
Rate
Number of responses per unit of time
Free operant
Refers to the behaviors that have discrete onsets and offsets, do not depend on discriminative stimuli, involve minimal displacement of the organism in time and space, and can be emitted over a wide range of response rates. Ex. Flopping to the floor in hallway
Trials-to-criterion
A measure of the number of response opportunities needed to achieve a predetermined level of performance.
Momentary time sampling
Easy to take, but inaccurate, teachers can use.
Planned activity check
Measures group behavior
Artifact
Phenomenon that appears to exist because of the way it is examined or measured.
Count
A simple tally of the number of occurrences of a behavior.
Discrete trials
Any operant whose response rate is controlled by a given opportunity to emit the response. Each discrete response occurs when an opportunity to respond exists.
Celeration
A measure of how rates of response change over time.
Duration
The amount of time from the onset to the end point of a response.
Latency
A measure of the elapsed time between the onset of a stimulus and a subsequent response
Interresponse time (IRT)
A measure of the amount of time that elapses between two consecutive instances of behavior.
Topography
Physical form or shape of behavior
Magnitude
The force or intensity of a response
Event recording
A variety of procedures for detecting and recording the number of times a behavior of interest occurs.
Time sampling
A variety of methods for observing and recording behavior during intervals or at specific moments in time.
Whole-interval recording
At the end of each interval the observer records whether the target behavior occurred throughout the whole interval
Partial-interval recording
The observer records whether the behavior occurred at any time during the interval.
Momentary time sampling
The observer records whether the target behavior occurred at the moment the time interval ends.
Measurement by permanent product
Measuring behavior after it has occurred by observing the effects the behavior produced on the environment
