Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Online Tutorial |
||
|
Types of Data Interval recording is used to estimate the length of time that a student is engaged in a particular behavior, or to estimate the number of instances of a behavior. This type of data works well if you have limited time to take data, as it gives you an estimate based on a shorter observation time, but keep in mind that it is only an estimate. To take interval data, begin by choosing a length of time that you will observe (typically short – perhaps 10 minutes of a one hour class period). Next, divide this amount of time into short intervals (often 10 seconds). For each short interval, record if the behavior occurs during the interval. Interval recording is helpful for recording behaviors that aren’t discrete and that occur at a high frequency, such as hand-flapping. Since hand-flapping can be really fast, it might be difficult to use event recording to count each flap. Interval recording provides an alternative that gives you an estimate about how long the child spends hand flapping during your observation period. It may also be used for behaviors that occur for longer periods of time, such as attending to the teacher during a class period. There are two ways to do this. For partial-interval recording, record if the behavior occurs at any point during the interval. For whole-interval recording, record if the behavior occurs throughout the entire interval. Here is an example of an interval recording data sheet Review: Read the summary and answer the discussion questions here: http://www.behavioradvisor.com/BehRecord.html Next --> Graphing Data |
|