Measurement, Data, and Interpretation Flashcards
Completeness in an operational definition refers to
Completeness in an operational definition refers to
What would NOT be a helpful component to a definition of behavior?
o Results in others
o Including medical criteria
A topographical definition of a behavior is one that is written in terms of
Movements that comprise the behavior
Objectivity in an operational definition refers to…
Observable characteristics of the behavior or environment
What are the 3 criteria for defining behavior?
Objectivity, clarity, completeness
Clarity in an operational definition refers to…
Unambiguous description; specifies the exact behavior
Low frequency, high intensity behaviors can be addressed…
By treating high and low frequency behaviors of the same response class regardless of intensity
Response class theory suggests that interventions should address the
Entire response class
A functional definition of a behavior is one that is written in terms of…
outcomes or consequences
Event recording is a useful measure when the goal of an intervention is to…
Increase/decrease the number of occurrences
Event recording is not appropriate for measuring responses that…
o Occur so rapidly that observers cannot keep pace with recording every instance
o Vary widely in duration
o Do not have a clear and distinct onset/offset
Event recording is best suited to the measurement of responses that
Have a discrete beginning and end
Every day after dinner, a child is to put their plate in the sink. Which formula calculates present of occurrences?
o # of times plate was put in sink divided by # of dinners (x100)
Event recording is a frequency measure also referred to as
the Tally Method
Percent of occurrences based on too few opportunities yields
Over/under- estimated results
Use percent of occurrences only if there is a minimum of
30 opportunities
Continuous recording procedures involve recording
The occurrence of all instances of a target behavior
A student is to increase the amount of time interacting with peers. The best measure is
Duration
So that frequency measures can be meaningfully compared across observation sessions when the target response is opportunity-bound or trial-bound (i.e., the response can’t meaningfully occur in the absence of a specified stimulus), frequency measures should
Be converted to percent of opportunities to respond
So that frequency measures can be meaningfully compared across observation sessions when the duration of observation sessions varies, frequency measures should
Be converted to response rate
When the opportunities to respond are presented in blocks of trials, trials to criterion data are reported as
the number of blocks of trials required for the learner to emit the correct response on a predetermined percentage of trials.
Disagreements between observers
should be analyzed.
Minimally, interobserver agreement data should be collected
in 20-30% of the sessions and at least once per condition
Which characterizes the logic behind interobserver agreement?
If 2 people say that something occurred, it is more likely that it did.
Useful error patterns of observer’s data should be identified through
Daily comparisons of each observer’s recordings
Computation of data by the individuals who collect it
Should be supplemented with computation by others
While in the midst of conducting observations, it is OK if data collectors
Know that someone else is also measuring the same behavior
Interobserver agreement
Enhances believability of data
Interobserver agreement may be influenced by
o The complexity of the recording procedure
o The number of individuals upon whom data are being collected
o The number of behaviors upon which the data are being collected
To obtain more accurate interobserver agreement, observers should
o Be naïve to the objectives of the study
o Mark every interval
o Observe from the same vantage point
Minimum acceptable interobserver agreement for publication is usually
80%
Overall agreement of occurrences should be reported when
Most of the intervals indicate no response
Overall agreement of nonoccurrences should be reported when
Most intervals indicate a response
Interobserver agreement should be at an acceptably high level
Before the study begins formal data collection
Ideally, the only reinforcement contingencies operating on observers are related to
the accuracy of data
In addition to reporting interval-by-interval agreement, also report overall agreement of occurrences when the number of intervals in which the behavior occurs is
very low
In addition to reporting interval-by-interval agreement, also report overall agreement of nonoccurrences when the number of intervals in which the behavior occurs is
very high
To calculate interobserver agreement on frequency measures
Divide the low number by the high number (x100)
To calculate nonoccurrence interobserver agreement, divide the
of intervals in which both observers recorded no occurrence by the # of interval in which at least 1 observer recorded no occurrence (x100)
To calculate occurrence interobserver agreement, divide the
of intervals in which both observers recorded occurrence by the # of interval in which at least 1 observer recorded an occurrence (x100)
To calculate interobserver agreement on duration measures, divide the
Shorter duration by the longer duration (x100)
To calculate interval-by-interval interobserver agreement, divide the
Number of intervals in which both observers agreed by the total number of intervals (x100)
Which reflects the logic behind the need to report nonoccurrence agreement data. “Interval-by-interval agreement is high, but
o Because the behavior is so frequent, I think the observers just score each interval.
Which reflects the logic behind the need to report occurrence or nonoccurrence agreement data for responses that occur at, respectively, low or high rates? “Interval-by-interval agreement is high, but
Because the behavior is so frequent, they appear to be recording occurrences when there were none
Airport baggage screeners report 100% agreement on over 700 interobserver agreement trials of regular passengers. Which question reflects the logic behind the need to report occurrence/nonoccurrence agreement data?
Can they detect when contraband is present/not present?
A mean count-per-interval of interobserver agreement is percent agreement for each interval
Averaged across all intervals
Interobserver agreement can be negatively influenced by
o The complexity of the data collection system
o An observer reinterpreting operational definitions over time
o Subtle changes in interpretation
o An observer hearing staff complaints
o Reactivity
o Expectancy
A researcher avoids having a particular therapist who had bad experiences with a student collect data to avoid the influence of
Expectancy
A researcher avoids collecting data on more than 2 students at a time due to the influence of
Complexity
The extent wo which other are convinced that measures provide aa credible reflection of actual events is called
Believability
Data are more believable when
o Interobserver agreement is high
o They are obtained by reliable measures
o They are shown to be accurate
Interobserver agreement of 2 observers improves over time because they have come to an unspoken agreement of what topographies get scored And these differ from the operational definition. This influence is called.
observer drift
A researcher tries to collect data from a vantage point where the students will not know he’s there due to the influence of
Reactivity
We always get the same frequency when we both observe, indicating high
Interobserver agreement
The test scores are always good. However, due to the possibility of someone else taking the test and putting their name on it, we question the test’s
Validity
Their first test score was good. However, when retested, they got a lower score, thus calling into question the test’s
Reliability
The only way to know if data are accurate is to
Compare them to true values
Two observers view a videotaped session independently and they measure SIB. If you were to compare the respective measures from the 2 observers, you would be assessing
Interobserver agreement
Inaccurate measurement
Will produce data that are invalid
A single observer views a videotaped session on 2 separate occasions and measures SIB. If you were to compare the respective measures from the 2 observations, you would be assessing
Reliability of the data collection procedure
Accurate data
o Reflect approximately the true values of an observed event
o Can only be obtained using a reliable measurement system
o May be recorded by one observer even if interobserver is low
- A practitioner compared a newly trained observer’s measures of math fact performance to a report generated by a math facts computer program. This is a procedure for assessing
Accuracy of the data
A practitioner compared 1 observer’s measures of spelling during an observation session to a different observer’s measures of the same session and there was perfect agreement. This demonstrates
Interobserver agreement
While collecting data, an observer became distracted and may have missed recording some behavior. The biggest concern about his data for the session would be with its
Accuracy
Using 1 hour partial interval recording to measure high rate out-of-seat behavior is likely to result in a problem with the data’s
Accuracy
When repeated measures yield consistent results for the same kind of event, we say the measurement system demonstrates
Reliability
Which would most likely be marked in equal intervals on the vertical axis?
o Frequency
o Percent
Use scale breaks on the vertical axis to…
Represent variability that is of social significance
You run baseline sessions daily for 2 weeks, experimental sessions daily for 3 weeks; then you conduct follow-up probes 6 months later.
Scale break the horizontal axis between the experimental and follow-up sessions
Use scale breaks on the horizontal axis to…
Represent discontinuity of time
Which would most likely be marked in equal intervals on the horizontal axis?
o Days
o Sessions
o Minutes
Which are appropriate vertical axis labels?
o Cumulative number of hits
o Frequency of Days without smoking
o Duration of workouts
o Mean percent correct
The vertical axis label should reflect
the dependent measure
You want a summary graph of aggressive behavior under each of three different interventions. Use a/an…
Bar Graph
One behavior occurs a couple times a day, and another behavior occurs hundred of times per day. You want to display both behaviors on the same graph without using a scale break. Use a/an…
Standard Celeration Chart
Performance ranges from 5% to 90%. Which is an appropriate vertical axis?
0-90% with no scale break
The vertical axis length…
Should be approximately 5/8 the length of the horizontal axis
To graph the number of aggressive instance per day use a ….
o Line graph
o Standard celeration chart
o Equal interval graph
On an equal interval graph, the vertical axis scale…
usually begins at 0
For successive measurements of a behavior across time, use a/an…
o Equal interval graph
o Line graph
o Cumulative record
Performance ranges from 80-95%. Which is an appropriate vertical axis if one want to highlight changes in trend?
0-100%, with a scale break at 10%
The scale of the vertical axis should be guided by the…
Social significance of the change
A behavior occurs several hundred times per day and then later only a few times per day. To best analyze the variability at both the high and low rates, use a …
Standard Celeration Chart
A cumulative record may be preferred over a non-cumulative graph when…
o the total response over a period of time is important
o the response can only be made once in a session
The ordinate on a cumulative record would indicate the …
Total number of responses over several sessions or days.
Condition labels should…
Be specific, centered, and parallel to the horizontal axis
Data points falling on either side of a phase line should…
not be connected
Separate minor modifications to experimental conditions with a …
broken vertical line
Separate experimental conditions…
With a solid or broken vertical line
A cumulative record showing a trend line going down…
never occurs
Data points falling across scale breaks should
not be connected
When plotting measures of more than one behavior on the same chart, use a separate symbol to plot each…
behavior
Data points falling across discontinuities of time should…
not be connected
Data points representing consecutive, continuous observations within the same phase and without a scale break between them should…
be connected
A time series graph (equal-interval or semi-logarithmic) or you behavior…
Illustrates the story of what happened and how your behavior changed
In ABA, quantitative and qualitative measurement of behavioral variables are both discussed in that..
Qualitative refers to how you know the class or identity of what you are counting while quantitative refers to how many you count in that class.
Qualitative refers to how you know the class or identity of what you are counting while quantitative refers to how many you count in that class.
o Plot people’s BCBA score on the x-axis and their corresponding LMS fluency on the y-axis of the graph.
o Calculate the correlation coefficient of the present LMS fluency to the BCBA scores for a group
o Plot people’s BCBA score on the y-axis and their corresponding percent LMS percentage correct on the x-axis of the graph.
By convention in ABA, the dependent variable on line graphs is plotted on the …
y-axis
By convention in ABA, the independent variable on ABA line graphs is plotted on the…
x-axis
By convention in ABA, time on ABA line graphs is plotted on the …
x-axis
Celeration charts, cumulative records, and other time-series graphs of behavior…
May reveal underlying cyclical changes in behavior that other wise wouldn’t be recognized as part of a pattern.
In ABA, a “quantitative” behavioral variable generally…
is represented by a number that changes proportionally with the dimension of behavior that is being measured.
To find out if you get better performance on the CBA LMS in the mornings or in the evenings, you could use an alternating treatments design and plot you correct and incorrect answer rates using…
A semi-logarithmic plot (Celeration chart) or other time series line graph
The goal of designing a single-subject graph in ABA is to…
Allow the data to most clearly reveal the extent to which the dependent and independent variables are related.
Trend line is the…
o Line of progress
o Direction of the data path
Average level is…
o Indicated with a horizontal line
o The mean of values of the dependent variable
Level
o It the central tendency of the data along the vertical axis
A defining property of a time-series graph that makes it most useful in ABA work is that…
It shows how behavior changes over the passage of equal intervals of time
A defining property of the cumulative record or graph that makes it most useful in ABA work is that…
The resultant slope of the line drawn is proportional to the rate of responding
B.F Skinner invented a recording and graphing system for rate data called the
Cumulative record
A trend line on a line graph goes through a series of data points representing an individual’s behavior over time. If we make no change in the environment,
we make the assumption that extending the line beyond the existing data will predict the individuals behavior in the future.
If a cumulative record of Johns math worksheet problems is smooth,
The fact that the tech’s cell phone rang while john was working shows that his performance is stable even when there is a minor distraction
Tantrum data reveal the following counts by shift for a woman with developmental disabilities: A new behavior reduction plan should start with…
Looking for what is different on the days that tantrums are reported.
On a cumulative record or graph, the higher the response rate, the…
Steeper the slope of the graph
Discontinuous measurement
Continuous Measurement
Latency
Interresponse time (IRT)
Whole Interval
Partial Interval
Momentary Time Sampling
PLACHECK
Rate
Frequency
