Chapter 3 – Methods for Recording Target Behaviors

Chapter 3 – Methods for Recording Target Behaviors Ps534 Dr. Ken Reeve Caldwell College Post-Bac Program in ABA

Reminder… • We need to MEASURE changes in a behavior before we can infer that a technique or procedure was effective • Behaviors MUST be observable or they cannot be viewed as objective • If not recorded by a machine, we need at LEAST two observers to determine accuracy of behavior measurement

Reminder… • For any behavior, we can measure • How often does it occur? • How quickly? • How intense? • How long does it last? • What is its latency? • When does it occur? • Etc. Only SOME of these may be important for any target behavior.

Where to start? • ANECDOTAL RECORDING (or ABC RECORDING) • Somewhat like a more rigorous CASE STUDY • Used to informally determine the antecedents, behavior, and consequences for a given client or learner • Gives the researcher a chance to identify possible variables to manipulate

What next? • Once you’ve formalized your questions about what behavior to study and its relationship to a given intervention technique, you are now ready to record “real” data • Can use EVENT-BASED or TIME-BASED recording techniques, depending on the behavior in question…

Recording Sheets • Student’s name • Date or dates of observation • Observer name and role • Start and end time • Setting of observation • Definition of behavior being observed • Key to any codes used

EVENT-BASED DATA RECORDING: 1. FREQUENCY • Need to define what constitutes an occurrence of behavior • Is a simple SUM of the total times behavior occurs in a given observation session • Observation sessions must be the same duration. Why? • Generally used when behavior is free to occur at any time (called FREE OPERANT CONDITION)

Sample of Frequency Event Record

SIDE ISSUE: INTER-OBSERVER AGREEMENT (IOA) • This is degree to which what one observer sees is the same as what another observer sees • It is a measure that allows us to either trust or not trust the data collected as being accurate • Calculated as

EVENT-BASED DATA RECORDING: 2. RATE • Is frequency of the behavior as a function of a specific time period • # of responses PER minute, hour, day, week, etc. • Observation sessions can now be different durations in length. Why? # of responses = 10 = .5/min. Length of observation 20 mins.

EVENT-BASED DATA RECORDING: 3. PERCENT CORRECT • Need to define what constitutes correct or incorrect response • Calculated as Number of correct responses x 100 Number of correct + incorrect • This is best used when the number of opportunities to respond varies from day to day or from child to child. Why?

EVENT-BASED DATA RECORDING: 4. TRIALS TO CRITERION • Measures number of opportunities before skill is correctly emitted • Used as indicator of speed of learning

EVENT-BASED DATA RECORDING: 5. CUMULATIVE RECORD • Measures a running total of occurrences of behavior across sessions • Used when a certain number of emitted responses is set as the criterion

EVENT-BASED DATA RECORDING: 6. INTERVAL RECORDING • Caution: this sounds like a time-based measure (AND SOME EXPERTS DO REFER TO IT AS ONE) but it is EVENT-based! • Used when target behavior occurs at very HIGH frequency (which makes rate measures difficult to do) • Interval recording is an APPROXIMATION of a rate measure (see more next…)

EVENT-BASED DATA RECORDING: 6. INTERVAL RECORDING • 6a) WHOLE INTERVAL RECORDING • Generally used when a learner engages in a long and rapid “run” of a behavior that interferes with other activities • Researcher divides observation session into many equal length intervals (ex. 10 min. session may be divided into 60 10-sec. intervals) • Researcher records: did behavior “fill” the interval (marks a “+”) or not fill the interval or not occur at all (marks a “”) • Data presented as “% of intervals in which target behavior occurred” • Whole interval recording tends to underestimate frequency so keep this in mind!

EVENT-BASED DATA RECORDING: 6. INTERVAL RECORDING • 6b) PARTIAL INTERVAL RECORDING • Only difference from whole interval recording is that observer notes: did behavior occur at ANY time during the interval (marks a “+”) or not at all (marks a “”) • Data presented as “% of intervals in which target behavior occurred” • Usually used if behavior occurs for shorter less intrusive durations of time

Sample of Partial Interval Recording

EVENT-BASED DATA RECORDING: 6. INTERVAL RECORDING • 6c) MOMENTARY TIME SAMPLING • Here, observer only observes at the END of an interval (“for just a moment”) and looks to see: Is behavior occurring right now (marks a “+”) or not right now (marks a “”) • Data presented as “% of intervals in which target behavior occurred” • Usually used if behavior occurs for longer durations of time

EVENT-BASED DATA RECORDING: 7. MAGNITUDE RECORDING • Measures the INTENSITY of a behavior • Usually difficult to be very objective unless a mechanical system of some sort is used

EVENT-BASED DATA RECORDING: 8. TOPOGRAPHY RECORDING • Measures the way the response LOOKS or is moved through space • Why an issue? Sometimes we don’t care so much about OUTCOME of a response (like effectively pressing a button with no regard as to how) as we do correctly performing the response (using the finger to press the button as opposed to smashing the button with a fist) • Is it appropriate to drop-kick the light switch to turn it off?

TIME-BASED DATA RECORDING: 1. DURATION RECORDING • Records how long the behavior lasts • Used when we are more concerned about duration than frequency or rate • Ex. Exercise time, eye gaze or attending, in-seat, studying duration, etc.

Sample Duration Recording

TIME-BASED DATA RECORDING: 2. LATENCY RECORDING • Records how much time it takes to BEGIN a behavior since an antecedent stimulus was presented • Ex. Responding to a request, making an initiation to a person entering a room, etc.

Sample Latency Recording

Chapter 3 – Methods for Recording Target Behaviors