Unit 3 & 4: Counting & Recording Data; Graphing Behavior

dead man’s test

• if a dead man can perform the target behavior, then it isn’t a fair pair

• if a dead man can’t perform the behavior, then it is a fair pair

• helps determine if we have a fair pair - can a dead man perform the target behavior?

duration recording

measure how long the behavior lasts - best for infrequent behaviors that continue for several minutes or seconds

fair pair

• two behaviors, one inappropriate to decrease, one appropriate to increase - works best when fair pair behaviors result in the same consequence

• targeting an appropriate behavior to increase when we target an inappropriate behavior to decrease

frequency recording

tall or count the number of times a targeted behavior occurs - most frequently used behavior recording technique

latency recording

how long it takes a student to begin engaging in a behavior after instructing them to perform it

movement cycle

exists if a behavior has a specific beginning and ending point - start and stop

operational definition

breaking down a broad concept, such as “hostility” into its observable and measurable components

partial interval recording

• record if behavior occurs at the end of the time interval

• whether the target behavior occurred at any time during the interval

permanent product recording

recording permanent products requires counting the remnants from behavior, such as the number of pencils snapped, words spelled incorrectly, or pieces of paper thrown on the floor

so what test

• do we really need to correct this behavior? is the behavior presently or potentially harmful to the student or others?

• asking ourselves if there is evidence that some behavior is presently or potentially harmful to students’ own or their peers’, social, emotionally, or academic well-being

stranger test

• defined with enough detail that a total stranger could observe it - no subjective terms

• a behavior should be defined precisely enough that a stranger could walk into the classroom and observe the student’s behavior equally accurately

whole interval recording

• measures whether or not a behavior occurred within a set chunk of time - X for if the behavior occurred and O for if it did not occur

• the target behavior must be displayed for the entire duration of an interval

What are the benefits of an AB design for intervention?

• provides a teacher with immediate feedback on their behavior

• examine trends in a student’s behavior

• provides a visual representation of the effectiveness of an intervention

• independently judge the effectiveness of an intervention

• an important source of feedback to a student regarding their behavior

stable AB baseline trend

ascending AB baseline trend

descending AB baseline trend

unstable AB baseline trend

AB design

ABAB or Reversal Design