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Recording Methods

Recording Techniques include:

• Event recording
• Permanent Product recording
• Duration recording
• Interval time sampling recording
• Partial interval time sampling
• Whole interval time sampling
• Momentary time sampling

Event recording

Each occurrence of the behaviour over a specific time interval is recorded. Most useful for behaviours that have a low frequency and have a clear beginning and end. Examples: swearing, smoking a cigarette, watching T.V.

The behaviours may be recorded on a checklist, wrist counter, hand counter, or transfer of objects (e.g., coins) from one pocket to another.

Advantages:

• Measures are of a fundamental response characteristic (i.e., frequency or duration).
• Can be used by participant-observers (e.g., parents or teachers) with low rate responses.

Disadvantages:

• Requires responses to have clearly distinguishable beginning and end.
• Unless responses are located in real time (e.g., by dividing a session into brief recording intervals), some forms of reliability assessment may be impossible.
• May be difficult with multiple behaviours unless mechanical aids are available.

Permanent Product

Records the specific outcome of a behaviour or series of behaviours. Examples: number of exams passed, chores completed, items of clothing left in bathroom.

Advantages:

• Provides unbiased estimates of frequency and duration.
• Data capable of complex analyses such as conditional probability analysis
• Data susceptible to sophisticated reliability analysis.

Disadvantages:

• May require costly equipment
• Requires responses to have clearly distinguishable beginnings and ends.

Duration Recording

Records the length of time a behaviour occurs. Examples include, length of time to complete a task (e.g., exercise behaviours), to make the bed, wash hands, or brush teeth.

Advantages:

• Are easily recorded with a wall clock or stopwatch
• Response duration of primary importance

Disadvantages:

• Requires the behaviour to have an identifiable beginning and end

Interval Time Sampling Recording

Records the presence or absence of a given response within a time interval. This method is useful for behaviours that are not clearly discrete. It is also useful for behaviours that occur at least once every 15 minutes. Interval time sampling recording is often described in a similar manner as partial interval time sampling, and both show clear differences from whole interval time sampling and momentary time sampling. All these terms are described below.

Partial Interval Time Sampling

Records the presence or absence of a behaviour if it occurs once or more in a specific time interval. Useful for high-frequency, brief behaviours that do not have a clear beginning or ending. The final measure is the percentage of intervals observed in which any instance of the behaviour occurred. Examples: A parent records "yes" to each consecutive, 10 minute interval in which any crying by a child has occurred. Nail biting.

Advantages:

• Sensitive to both response frequency and duration.
• Applicable to a wide range of responses.
• Facilitates observer training and reliability assessments.
• Applicable to responses without clear beginnings and ends.

Disadvantages:

• Confounds frequency and duration
• May under- or overestimate response frequency and duration.
• Usually, it tends to overestimate the occurrence of the behaviour

Whole Interval Time Sampling

Records the occurrence of a response if it persists throughout an entire time interval. Can be used for appropriate behaviour, attendance behaviour, and engagement.

Advantages:

• sensitive to frequency and duration
• can be applied to a wide range of behaviours

Disadvantages:

• tends to underestimate the occurrences of the behaviour

Momentary Time Sampling

Records the occurrence of a behaviour if it is occurring at the moment a given time interval ends. Useful for long-duration or high-frequency behaviours. Examples: rocking in an autistic child, on task behaviour in the classroom.

Advantages:

• Response duration of primary interest.
• Time-saving and convenient.
• Useful with multiple behaviours and/or children
• Applicable to responses without clear beginnings or ends.
• Useful for behaviours that persist for a while

Disadvantages:

• Unless samples are taken frequently, continuity of behaviour may be lost.
• May miss most occurrences of brief, rare responses