Measuring behaviour Flashcards
What are informal ways of measuring behaviour?
Retrospectively through memory
What are the two ways of formally recording behaviour?
Continuous recording and interval recording
What is continuous recording?
Recording each and every occurrence of a target behaviour within a given period
What is interval recording?
Recording whether a behaviour occurs during each of a series of short intervals within an observation period
What is inter observer reliability?
A measure of the degree of agreement in data tallies made by two or more observers
How many people should rate behaviour?
Two or more
What are acceptable reliability scores in measuring behaviour?
90, anything below 80 would be seen as unreliable.
How can you improve inter observer reliability?
Incresae the observer’s idea of what teh target behaviour is
What is a simple frequency graph?
A graph in which each data point indicates the number of times a behaviour occurred over a period of time
What is a cumulative frequency graph?
A graph in which each data point indicates the total number of times the behaviour has occurred up to that point in time
What method is used to evaluate an intervnetion in behavioural analysis?
Single case experimental designs (SCEDs)
What do SCEDs look at?
Practical significance not statistical significance
What is the definition of a SCED?
A research design in which the behaviour of an individual is compared under experimental and control conditions
What is a basline in SCED research?
A period during which the behaviour under study is recorded, but no attempt is made to modify it
What are the three types of SCEDs?
- ABAB reversal design
- Multiple baseline design
- Alternating treatment design
What is AB design?
A is baseline, B is intervention period
Why is AB design not very good?
It cannot account for confounding variables
What is ABAB reversal design?
Complete the intervention twice
When would ABAB reversal design not be practical?
When you’re trying to solve serious behaviour problems - unethical to return to baseline
What is multiple baseline design?
Like ABAB design but staggered to account for confounding variables - different baselines are staggered based on different people/settings/behaviours
What is alternating treatment design?
Two or more interventions are systematically alternated
What is a problem with ABAB designs?
The intervention in B can leak over into the second baseline phase
What is ABa design?
AB design but with a maintenance phase afterwards
What is changing criterion design?
A criterion is set for performance and the criterion is increased over time
What are ecological momentary assessments?
Repeated sampling of subjects current behaviour and experiences in real time in the subjects natural environment
What are active experience data?
Experiences are self-reported, e.g., mood/stress rating
What are active behaviour data?
Behaviours are self-reported, e.g., exercise diary, event-recording
What are active physiology data?
Physiology is measured by participants, e.g., take own saliva samples for cortisol
What are passive experience data?
Experience is inferred through observation, e.g., auditory sampling
What is passive behaviour data?
Behaviours are measured with no intervention or reporting, e.g., pedometer to infer physical activity
What is passive physiology data?
Physiology is measured with no intervention by participant, e.g., passive sampling of heart rate/blood pressure
