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A-13 Design and implement discontinuous measurement procedures (e.g., partial & whole interval, momentary time sampling)

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Definitions:

Discontinuous measurement: measurement conducted in a manner such that some instances of the response class(es) of interest may not be detected (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007).

Partial interval recording: a time sampling method for measuring behavior in which the observation period is divided into a series of brief time intervals (typically from 5-10 seconds). The observer records whether the target behavior occurred at any time during the interval. Partial-interval recording is not concerned with how many times the behavior occurred during the interval or how long the behavior was present, just that it occurred at some point during the interval; tends to overestimate the portion of the observation period that the behavior actually occurred (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007).

Whole interval recording: a time sampling method for measuring behavior in which the observation period is divided into a series of brief time intervals (typically from 5-15 seconds). At the end of each interval, the observer records whether the target behavior ocurred throughout the entire interval; tends to underestimate the proportion of the observation period that many behaviors actually occurred (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007).

Momentary time sampling: a measurement method in which the presence of absence of behaviors are recorded at precisely specified time intervals (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007).

 

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