ABAT Measurement and Data Collection 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Partial interval recording tends to do which of the following to the reported occurrence of behavior?
- Underestimate it
- Overestimate it (Correct answer)
- Accurately represent it
- Eliminate variability in it
Correct answer: Overestimate it
Partial interval recording scores an interval as an occurrence if the behavior appears at any point, even briefly, causing overestimation of how much behavior actually occurs.
Question 2: In whole interval recording, behavior is scored as occurring only if:
- It begins within the first half of the interval
- It is observed at the instant the interval ends
- It persists throughout the entire interval (Correct answer)
- It occurs more than once during the interval
Correct answer: It persists throughout the entire interval
Whole interval recording requires that the behavior be present for the full duration of the interval; if it stops even briefly, the interval is scored as a non-occurrence.
Question 3: Momentary time sampling (MTS) records behavior:
- Continuously across the entire session
- Whenever it begins during any interval
- Only at the precise moment each interval ends (Correct answer)
- During randomly selected 5-second windows
Correct answer: Only at the precise moment each interval ends
In MTS the observer checks at the exact instant the interval ends and records only whether the behavior is occurring at that snapshot moment.
Question 4: Which IOA method is most appropriate for low-frequency behaviors to avoid inflated agreement scores?
- Total count IOA
- Occurrence IOA (Correct answer)
- Non-occurrence IOA
- Mean count per interval IOA
Correct answer: Occurrence IOA
Occurrence IOA calculates agreement only in intervals where at least one observer recorded the behavior, preventing the inflation caused by the many shared 'no behavior' intervals.
Question 5: Point-by-point interobserver agreement compares observer data at the level of:
- The total session count
- Each individual interval or trial (Correct answer)
- Block averages across five intervals
- Only intervals where behavior occurred
Correct answer: Each individual interval or trial
Point-by-point IOA evaluates agreement for every interval separately, then averages those scores, making it a sensitive measure of moment-to-moment consistency.
Question 6: Which discontinuous recording method produces the most accurate estimate of the true proportion of time a behavior occupies?
- Partial interval recording
- Whole interval recording
- Momentary time sampling (Correct answer)
- Fixed ratio recording
Correct answer: Momentary time sampling
Research demonstrates that MTS yields the least biased estimate of actual behavior duration compared to partial and whole interval methods.
Question 7: An observer collects data using 10-second intervals and records a '+' any time the behavior occurs at all during the interval. This is an example of:
- Whole interval recording
- Momentary time sampling
- Partial interval recording (Correct answer)
- Continuous event recording
Correct answer: Partial interval recording
Partial interval recording marks an occurrence whenever the behavior appears during any portion of the interval, regardless of how briefly.
ABAT Measurement and Data Collection 2
Partial interval recording tends to do which of the following to the reported occurrence of behavior?