What type of measurement would you use to track the number of occurrences a behavior happens?
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technologies derived from those discoveries. Direct and frequent measurement provides the foundation for applied behavior analysis. Applied behavior analysts use measurement to detect and compare the effects of various environmental arrangements on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of socially significant behaviors. (p.93) According to
Cooper, et. al. (2014), practitioners need measurement for the following reasons: Behavior is the focus of applied behavior analysis. Behavior analysts and those working in the field identify behaviors and then seek to measure those specific behaviors.
Behaviors can be measured by three fundamental properties which include repeatability, temporal extent, and temporal locus. Repeatability refers to how a behavior can be counted or how it can occur repeatedly through time. For example, if the behavior being measured is the behavior of throwing objects, repeatability refers to the fact that you can count how many times the individual throws objects throughout the day or the session. Temporal extent refers to how much
time a behavior takes up. For instance, if you are interested in measuring the behavior of crying, you can measure the duration of crying by starting a timer at the first sound of crying and ending the timer when the crying stops. Temporal locus refers to at what point in time does the behavior occur. For instance, when measuring throwing objects, you can indicate the time that the behavior occurs, such as at 8:30 am, 10:00 am, and 11:00 am. This might inform you that the behavior only occurs in the mornings (if you see the same pattern over multiple days). Research in applied behavior analysis can occur in a single case study or group design. For further research information and detailed measurement and data collection strategies, consider the book, Research Methods in ABA. TYPES OF MEASUREMENT Based on the three fundamental properties, there are multiple types of measurement that can be used in applied behavior analysis. Here are some of them: Based on Repeatability:
Based on temporal extent:
Based on temporal locus:
Derivative measures:
Definitional measures:
As you can see, there are numerous types of measurements that can be taken on the behaviors of interest to behavior analysts. You can utilize event recording, which is a method of measurement that covers a variety of procedures which are used to identify the number of times a behavior occurs. You can also use timing procedures which involve identifying various aspects of a behavior that relate to time, such as duration, response latency, and interresponse time. Time sampling is another type of measurement which covers a range of procedures which allow you to measure behavior based on various samples of time. Additionally, you can measure behavior by permanent products. This means that you dont actually have to observe the behavior taking place. You can know that it took place because the behavior results in some sort of product that is left for others to observe. An example of this is homework. Assuming that kids arent allowing someone else to do it for them, you can tell that a child completed homework without actually watching them complete the homework because you will see the homework completed after the behavior occurs. See the videos below to learn more about measurement in ABA. All information referenced from: Cooper, Heron, and Heward (2014). Applied Behavior Analysis. 2nd edition. Pearson Education Limited. Image credit: CyberHades via Flickr How do you measure behavioral data?Set up a time frame where you will measure the behavior (e.g., minutes, hours, days, etc.) Note the time when the first behavior happens. Tally each behavioral tick that occurs until you reach the time frame you originally established. Divide the number of behaviors with the total amount of time to get the frequency.
What type of data collection refers to recording data on every occurrence of the behavior?Discontinuous Data Collection. What dimension of behavior is a measure of how long the behavior occurred?Behavior has at least six dimensions, these are: frequency or rate, duration, latency, topography, locus, and force. of 9 correct answers during a ten-minute work block would equal a rate of . 90 per minute. A second possible dimension is duration, or how long a behavior lasts.
What type of behavior would be best measured using duration recording?Duration recording documents how long a student engages in a specified behavior. This type of data collection is appropriate for behaviors that have a distinct beginning and ending or for those that occur at very high rates (e.g., tantrumming, being out of seat, not completing a task).
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