Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) — Question 21

Susan recorded data on a student's fidgeting behavior in the following way: She divided a 10-minute recording period into 10-second intervals and recorded in each interval a "+" if the target behavior occurred at least once. The percentage of intervals of target behavior occurrence was about 45%. The data resulting are most likely to be an

Answer options

• A. accurate measure of inter-response times.
• B. inaccurate measure of inter-response times.
• C. overestimate of the occurrence of the behavior.
• D. underestimate of the occurrence of the behavior.

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The correct answer is C because recording a '+' for any occurrence within a 10-second interval can lead to multiple behaviors being counted in a single interval, thus inflating the perceived frequency of the behavior. Options A and B are incorrect as they relate to inter-response times, which are not being assessed here. Option D is also incorrect because the method likely overestimates rather than underestimates the behavior's occurrence.