BCBA RECENT EXAMS TEST PAPER QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔partial interval recording - ✔✔records whether the behavior occurred at any time
during the interval; overestimates total duration, but underestimates rate of high-
frequency behavior
✔✔momentary time sampling - ✔✔records whether the target behavior is occurring at
the moment that each time interval ends; over & underestimates the continuous
duration measure when time intervals are greater than 2 minutes
✔✔planned activity check - ✔✔uses head counts to measure "group behavior"; variation
of momentary time sampling
✔✔permanent product - ✔✔measuring behavior after it has occurred by measuring the
effects that the behavior produced on the environment
✔✔artifact - ✔✔something that appears to exist because of the way it is examined or
measured
✔✔validity - ✔✔when measurement yields data that are directly relevant to the
phenomenon measured and to the reasons for measuring it
,✔✔accuracy - ✔✔extent to which the observed value matches the true state or value of
the event as it exists in nature
✔✔observed value - ✔✔quantitative label produced by measuring an event
✔✔true value - ✔✔a measure obtained by procedures that are independent of and
different from the procedures that produced the data being evaluated and for which the
researcher has removed all bias
✔✔measurement bias - ✔✔nonrandom measurement error; error i measurement that is
likely to be in one direction
✔✔reliability - ✔✔the extent to which a measurement procedure yields the same results
over time
✔✔direct measurement - ✔✔measurement which measures the focus of the experiment
✔✔indirect measurement - ✔✔measurement that measures something that is somehow
different from the target behavior
✔✔continuous measurement - ✔✔measurement conducted in a manner such that all
instances of the response classes of interest are detected during the observation period
✔✔discontinuous measurement - ✔✔any form of measurement in which some
instances of the response class(es) of interest may not be detected
✔✔observer drift - ✔✔unintended changes in the way data are collected
✔✔naive observer - ✔✔a trained observer who is unaware of the study's purpose
and/or the experimental conditions in effect during a given phase or observation period
✔✔observer reactivity - ✔✔measurement error resulting from an observer's awareness
that others are evaluating the data he reports
✔✔calibration - ✔✔overall improvement of the measurement system
✔✔interobserver agreement - ✔✔the degree to which two or more independent
observers report the same observed values after measuring the same events
✔✔total count IOA - ✔✔a percentage of agreement between the total number of
responses recorded by two observers calculated by dividing the smaller of the counts by
the larger count and multiplying by 100
, ✔✔mean count-per-interval IOA - ✔✔a percentage of agreement between the number
of responses recorded by two observers per interval that is calculated by adding up the
IOA for each interval and dividing by the total number of intervals
✔✔exact count-per-interval IOA - ✔✔the percentage of total intervals in which two
observers recorded the same count calculated by dividing the number of intervals with
100% IOA by the total number of intervals and multiplying by 100
✔✔trial-by-trial IOA - ✔✔a conservative and meaningful index of inter-observer
agreement for discrete trial data calculated by dividing trials agreed by total number of
trials and multiplying by 100
✔✔total duration IOA - ✔✔the percentage of agreement between two observers that is
calculated by dividing the shorter duration by the larger duration and multiplying by 100
✔✔mean duration-per-occurrence IOA - ✔✔a more conservative and more meaningful
assessment of IOA for total duration data; calculated by adding IOA for each response,
dividing by the total responses, and multiplying by 100
✔✔interval-by-interval IOA - ✔✔the agreement between two observers per each
interval; calculated by dividing total number of intervals agreed by the total number of
intervals and multiplying by 100
✔✔scored-interval IOA - ✔✔the agreement between two observers based on intervals
in which either or both observers recorded the occurrence of the target behavior;
agreement counted when both observers recorded that the behavior occurred in the
same interval; more conservative measure for low-rate behaviors
✔✔unscored-interval IOA - ✔✔agreement between two observers based on intervals in
which either or both observers recorded nonoccurrence of target behavior; agreement
counted when both observers recorded the nonoccurrence of the behavior in the same
interval; more stringent assessment for high-rate behaviors
✔✔data path - ✔✔part of a graph that represents the level and trend of behavior
between successive data points; primary focus of attention in the interpretation and
analysis of graphed data
✔✔cumulative record - ✔✔primary means of data collection in the experimental analysis
of behavior (e.g. Sniffy)
✔✔overall response rate - ✔✔average rate of response over a given time period
✔✔local response rate - ✔✔the rate of response during periods of time smaller than that
for which a overall rate has been given
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔partial interval recording - ✔✔records whether the behavior occurred at any time
during the interval; overestimates total duration, but underestimates rate of high-
frequency behavior
✔✔momentary time sampling - ✔✔records whether the target behavior is occurring at
the moment that each time interval ends; over & underestimates the continuous
duration measure when time intervals are greater than 2 minutes
✔✔planned activity check - ✔✔uses head counts to measure "group behavior"; variation
of momentary time sampling
✔✔permanent product - ✔✔measuring behavior after it has occurred by measuring the
effects that the behavior produced on the environment
✔✔artifact - ✔✔something that appears to exist because of the way it is examined or
measured
✔✔validity - ✔✔when measurement yields data that are directly relevant to the
phenomenon measured and to the reasons for measuring it
,✔✔accuracy - ✔✔extent to which the observed value matches the true state or value of
the event as it exists in nature
✔✔observed value - ✔✔quantitative label produced by measuring an event
✔✔true value - ✔✔a measure obtained by procedures that are independent of and
different from the procedures that produced the data being evaluated and for which the
researcher has removed all bias
✔✔measurement bias - ✔✔nonrandom measurement error; error i measurement that is
likely to be in one direction
✔✔reliability - ✔✔the extent to which a measurement procedure yields the same results
over time
✔✔direct measurement - ✔✔measurement which measures the focus of the experiment
✔✔indirect measurement - ✔✔measurement that measures something that is somehow
different from the target behavior
✔✔continuous measurement - ✔✔measurement conducted in a manner such that all
instances of the response classes of interest are detected during the observation period
✔✔discontinuous measurement - ✔✔any form of measurement in which some
instances of the response class(es) of interest may not be detected
✔✔observer drift - ✔✔unintended changes in the way data are collected
✔✔naive observer - ✔✔a trained observer who is unaware of the study's purpose
and/or the experimental conditions in effect during a given phase or observation period
✔✔observer reactivity - ✔✔measurement error resulting from an observer's awareness
that others are evaluating the data he reports
✔✔calibration - ✔✔overall improvement of the measurement system
✔✔interobserver agreement - ✔✔the degree to which two or more independent
observers report the same observed values after measuring the same events
✔✔total count IOA - ✔✔a percentage of agreement between the total number of
responses recorded by two observers calculated by dividing the smaller of the counts by
the larger count and multiplying by 100
, ✔✔mean count-per-interval IOA - ✔✔a percentage of agreement between the number
of responses recorded by two observers per interval that is calculated by adding up the
IOA for each interval and dividing by the total number of intervals
✔✔exact count-per-interval IOA - ✔✔the percentage of total intervals in which two
observers recorded the same count calculated by dividing the number of intervals with
100% IOA by the total number of intervals and multiplying by 100
✔✔trial-by-trial IOA - ✔✔a conservative and meaningful index of inter-observer
agreement for discrete trial data calculated by dividing trials agreed by total number of
trials and multiplying by 100
✔✔total duration IOA - ✔✔the percentage of agreement between two observers that is
calculated by dividing the shorter duration by the larger duration and multiplying by 100
✔✔mean duration-per-occurrence IOA - ✔✔a more conservative and more meaningful
assessment of IOA for total duration data; calculated by adding IOA for each response,
dividing by the total responses, and multiplying by 100
✔✔interval-by-interval IOA - ✔✔the agreement between two observers per each
interval; calculated by dividing total number of intervals agreed by the total number of
intervals and multiplying by 100
✔✔scored-interval IOA - ✔✔the agreement between two observers based on intervals
in which either or both observers recorded the occurrence of the target behavior;
agreement counted when both observers recorded that the behavior occurred in the
same interval; more conservative measure for low-rate behaviors
✔✔unscored-interval IOA - ✔✔agreement between two observers based on intervals in
which either or both observers recorded nonoccurrence of target behavior; agreement
counted when both observers recorded the nonoccurrence of the behavior in the same
interval; more stringent assessment for high-rate behaviors
✔✔data path - ✔✔part of a graph that represents the level and trend of behavior
between successive data points; primary focus of attention in the interpretation and
analysis of graphed data
✔✔cumulative record - ✔✔primary means of data collection in the experimental analysis
of behavior (e.g. Sniffy)
✔✔overall response rate - ✔✔average rate of response over a given time period
✔✔local response rate - ✔✔the rate of response during periods of time smaller than that
for which a overall rate has been given
