Testing a Definition

So now that you have learned the characteristics of a good definition, how do you test to see if your definition is actually good?

Cooper, Heron, and Heward describe a few questions and answers to determine if you have a good definition.

1.  Can you count the number of occurrences?

-You should be able to answer "Yes"

2.  Will a stranger know what to look for based on the definition alone?

-You should be able to answer "Yes"

3.  Can you break the target behavior down to smaller,  more specific components?

-You should answer "No"

-The target behavior should already be broken down into the most specific components as possible

Resources:  Cooper J.O, Heron T.E, Heward W.L. Applied behavior analysis (2nd ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson; 2007.

Continuous Measurement Procedures

Fourth Edition Task List

Section 1

A-12

Continuous measurement is conducted in a way in which ALL instances of a response class are detected during an observation period.

The following chart shows the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of continuous measurement.

Questions?  Just leave a comment, and I will get back to you! :)

Resources:  Cooper J.O, Heron T.E, Heward W.L. Applied behavior analysis (2nd ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson; 2007.

Basic vs. Applied Research

Basic vs. Applied Research

Basic: does not focus on real-world application, and instead it just tries to describe the fundamentals of behavior.

Applied: focuses on application in the real world, but it still is based upon previous theory and assumptions that are made. 

Try it.

In the field of ABA, are we more concerned with applied or basic research?

Applied.

Resources:  Cooper J.O, Heron T.E, Heward W.L. Applied behavior analysis (2nd ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson; 2007.

Frequency, Rate, Duration, Latency, and Interresponse Time

Fourth Edition Task List.

Section 1

A-01, A-02, A-03, A-04, A-05

Frequency:  This is just how many times that a behavior occurred.

Remember, FREQUENCY=COUNT

Example:  The client screamed 7 times during the hour observation period.

Rate:  Ratio of count per observation time.

Example:  The client engages in an average of 16 instances of screaming per hour. 

Duration:  A measure of the total time that the behavior occurs.

Example:  One instance of screaming lasted for 37 seconds.

Latency:  The elapsed time from the onset of a stimulus to the time that the response started.

Example:  The teacher said touch dog, and 4 seconds later, the client touched the dog.  The latency is 4 seconds in this scenario.

Interresponse time (IRT): Elapsed time between two successive responses.

Example:  13 seconds passed in between the two instances of screaming.

You try.

1.  If you are tracking a behavior that usually lasts anywhere from 5 seconds to 3 minutes on average, what method would you use to measure the behavior?

Duration.

2.  Why is calculating IRT important?

Calculating IRT is a good way to determine an appropriate interval length for DRO schedules.  It will let you know how long the client goes on average WITHOUT engaging in a certain problem behavior.


Visit the following link for a powerpoint presentation comparing frequency, interval, and time-sampling methods of data collection.
http://bcbatestprep.blogspot.com/2014/06/comparison-of-frequency-interval-and.html