comprehensive 2025–2026 PTCB Study
Guide Questions and Answers
Some of the material you might need for data collection
Paper data sheets and a pen (if your company uses paper data
collection)
Tablet or other device with your electronic data system open and
logged in (if your company uses digital data collection)
Timer to track the duration, interresponse time, or response
latency of target behaviors
Clicker to count the number of times a target behavior occursv
Continuous measurement
Record every occurrence of the target behavior
Discontinuous measurement
If there are barriers to recording all occurrences
Count
The number of times a behavior occurs
Ex: Patrick punched is brother 3 times; Sally independelty minded
for a cookie 1 time
Frequency/rate
The number of times a behavior occurs over a particular time
period.
EX: Dahlia bit her hand 6 times per hour (rate) ; Sammie cooks
dinner 5x per week (frequency)
Response latency
The duration of the time that passes from the onset of an SD (SD
in often the instruction/demand) to the start of the behavior
EX:A mom tells her daughter, "come sit down. It's time for dinner."
The daughter comes to the table 3 mins later. The response
latency is 3 min.
interresponse time (IRT)
The duration of the time that passes from the end of a response
to the beginning of the next response
,EX: Maya raises her hand in class at (:00AM, then again at 9:05
AM. The IRT between her raising her hand would be 5 mins.
Duration
A total amount of the time from the beginning of a behavior to the
end of it.
EX: Benji screams for 3 mins; Aniyah reads a book for 22 mins
Whole Interval Recording
Break an observation period into equal intervals 30 secs, 5 mins,
20 mins
Next, record data on whether the target behavior occurs
throughout the whole duration of the interval. If the behavior did
occur for the entire interval, mark that interval as a "yes," "+," or
"✔." If the behavior did not occur for the entire interval, mark the
interval as a "no," "-," or "X."
EX: Lilah is taking whole interval data for her client's repetitive
spitting. The session is broken up into 2-minute intervals. Every 2
minutes, she records whether her client spits for the full 2-minute
interval. If her client did not spit at all OR spit for some of the
interval, but not the whole time, Lilah marks "-" for that interval.
When her client spits for a full 2-minute interval, Lilah marks "+"
for that interval.
Partial Interval Recording
Break an observation period into equal intervals, simlair to whole
interval recording
EX:Lilah is taking whole interval data for her client's repetitive
spitting. The session is broken up into 2-minute intervals. Every 2
minutes, she records whether her client spits for the full 2-minute
interval. If her client did not spit at all OR spit for some of the
interval, but not the whole time, Lilah marks "-" for that interval.
When her client spits for a full 2-minute interval, Lilah marks "+"
for that interval.
Momentary Time Sampling
.
At the end of each interval, observe whether the target behavior is
, currently occurring.
EX:A 6th-grade teacher has two students who tend to lose focus
during independent work time. The teacher breaks a 45-minute
independent work period into nine 5-minute intervals. She grades
assignments while the students are working. At the end of each 5-
minute interval, she briefly looks up to see if those students are
attending to their work. If they are attending to their work at that
time, she marks a "+". If they are not attending to their work at
that time, she marks a "-".
Pre-task choice
-Ask the learner before they work on a task what they would like
to "earn" for completing the task
-They can choose from 2 to 3 items presented
Permanent Product
Involves indirectly measuring behavior based on a permanent
product of the behavior
Ex:A teacher measures his student's homework completion based
on the final product: whether or not the student turned in a
completed homework assignment.
Enter date and update graphs
A teacher measures his student's homework completion based on
the final product: whether or not the student turned in a completed
homework assignment.
X-axis
is horizontal on a graph. On this axis, you record the date or
session number.
Y-axis
On this axis, you record the measure of the behavior (e.g., the
duration, percentage, rate, etc.).
Topography
What behavior looks like
Four Functions
escape, attention, tangible, automatic
Objective phrase
Guide Questions and Answers
Some of the material you might need for data collection
Paper data sheets and a pen (if your company uses paper data
collection)
Tablet or other device with your electronic data system open and
logged in (if your company uses digital data collection)
Timer to track the duration, interresponse time, or response
latency of target behaviors
Clicker to count the number of times a target behavior occursv
Continuous measurement
Record every occurrence of the target behavior
Discontinuous measurement
If there are barriers to recording all occurrences
Count
The number of times a behavior occurs
Ex: Patrick punched is brother 3 times; Sally independelty minded
for a cookie 1 time
Frequency/rate
The number of times a behavior occurs over a particular time
period.
EX: Dahlia bit her hand 6 times per hour (rate) ; Sammie cooks
dinner 5x per week (frequency)
Response latency
The duration of the time that passes from the onset of an SD (SD
in often the instruction/demand) to the start of the behavior
EX:A mom tells her daughter, "come sit down. It's time for dinner."
The daughter comes to the table 3 mins later. The response
latency is 3 min.
interresponse time (IRT)
The duration of the time that passes from the end of a response
to the beginning of the next response
,EX: Maya raises her hand in class at (:00AM, then again at 9:05
AM. The IRT between her raising her hand would be 5 mins.
Duration
A total amount of the time from the beginning of a behavior to the
end of it.
EX: Benji screams for 3 mins; Aniyah reads a book for 22 mins
Whole Interval Recording
Break an observation period into equal intervals 30 secs, 5 mins,
20 mins
Next, record data on whether the target behavior occurs
throughout the whole duration of the interval. If the behavior did
occur for the entire interval, mark that interval as a "yes," "+," or
"✔." If the behavior did not occur for the entire interval, mark the
interval as a "no," "-," or "X."
EX: Lilah is taking whole interval data for her client's repetitive
spitting. The session is broken up into 2-minute intervals. Every 2
minutes, she records whether her client spits for the full 2-minute
interval. If her client did not spit at all OR spit for some of the
interval, but not the whole time, Lilah marks "-" for that interval.
When her client spits for a full 2-minute interval, Lilah marks "+"
for that interval.
Partial Interval Recording
Break an observation period into equal intervals, simlair to whole
interval recording
EX:Lilah is taking whole interval data for her client's repetitive
spitting. The session is broken up into 2-minute intervals. Every 2
minutes, she records whether her client spits for the full 2-minute
interval. If her client did not spit at all OR spit for some of the
interval, but not the whole time, Lilah marks "-" for that interval.
When her client spits for a full 2-minute interval, Lilah marks "+"
for that interval.
Momentary Time Sampling
.
At the end of each interval, observe whether the target behavior is
, currently occurring.
EX:A 6th-grade teacher has two students who tend to lose focus
during independent work time. The teacher breaks a 45-minute
independent work period into nine 5-minute intervals. She grades
assignments while the students are working. At the end of each 5-
minute interval, she briefly looks up to see if those students are
attending to their work. If they are attending to their work at that
time, she marks a "+". If they are not attending to their work at
that time, she marks a "-".
Pre-task choice
-Ask the learner before they work on a task what they would like
to "earn" for completing the task
-They can choose from 2 to 3 items presented
Permanent Product
Involves indirectly measuring behavior based on a permanent
product of the behavior
Ex:A teacher measures his student's homework completion based
on the final product: whether or not the student turned in a
completed homework assignment.
Enter date and update graphs
A teacher measures his student's homework completion based on
the final product: whether or not the student turned in a completed
homework assignment.
X-axis
is horizontal on a graph. On this axis, you record the date or
session number.
Y-axis
On this axis, you record the measure of the behavior (e.g., the
duration, percentage, rate, etc.).
Topography
What behavior looks like
Four Functions
escape, attention, tangible, automatic
Objective phrase
