Measurement, Data Display, and Data-Based Decisions
Student Name
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Capella University
PSY 7713: Course Name
Instructor Name
Assignment Due Date
, 2
Measurement, Data Display, and Data-Based Decisions
Behavioral interventions require audit and assessment to determine whether they are
fulfilling their purpose and to make necessary changes if they are not. The objective of this paper
is to decide which method of data collection would be best to use in monitoring SIB in a child
who has Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability. Further, it establishes the most
suitable form of presenting behavioral patterns and how decisions based on data for requisites
can contribute towards intervention measures, resulting in an enhanced quality of life.
Data Collection Method
The partial interval recording method is the most appropriate data collection technique
for Isaac's case. It is this observation method in which the self-injurious behavior (SIB) period is
broken into equal time intervals. This is recorded if head banging occurs at any time in each
interval. This method reliably estimates the behavior's frequency and intensity to manage
effective intervention.
Before the intervention, Isaac exhibited SIB at a frequency of 25 to 28 times per session.
After intervention began, this reduced to 10 to 19 occurrences per session, demonstrating a clear
decreasing trend. This frequency keeps reducing showing Isaacs’ improvement. The behavior is
too rapid, and continuous recording would be impractical because of the need for constant
supervision. It was ruled out momentary time sampling that could underestimate behavior,
missing its entire extent. With event recording unable to distinguish duration or intensity trends,
the duration and intensity trends of Isaac's self-injurious behavior were deemed unrecorded
(Friman, 2010).
Furthermore, Isaac's behavior can be spotted, and the caregivers and therapists can
observe the trend or pattern. The data collected here shows them precisely the behavioral