APPLIED BEHAVIOUR ANALYSIS

Data Collection Part I

Lesson 3
LESSON 3A
Baseline Data Collection, Graphing & Behavioural
Objectives

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SECTION 1

Baseline Data & Graphing

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Baseline Data And Patterns
Before an intervention is put in place, the behaviour of
interest should be measured several times. Data
collected before a program is started are called baseline
data. As was discussed in last lesson, there are several
reasons to take baseline data.
• to ascertain if there is a need for treatment
• to use as a comparison against which to measure
progress when treatment is in place
baseline data. You are looking for a pattern in the
baseline that would allow you to make this prediction.
Parents and service providers are frequently impatient
to have a treatment program begin and may resist this
initial data collection process as it takes time. It is
important however to try to get all parties to agree that
this baseline data must be collected.
Interactive 1.1 Baseline & Intervention

• to allow for reasonable treatment objectives to be set Intervention

To get an accurate picture of these behaviours you

would want to take baseline data over several days.
Variability is a normal characteristic of almost all
human behaviour. This is why several baseline data
points are necessary. Usually 3 baseline data points are
Baseline
required.

How much baseline data are enough?

Answer: When you have collected enough data that

you can more or less accurately predict what the next
few data points would be, then you have enough

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 a.! The x- axis. This is the horizontal axis. It is usually
Graphing
longer than the y axis.
Once you have the data, typically you would graph it.
A graph is a visual image of the data you have b.! The y-axis. This is the vertical axis.
collected. A graph allows information to be seen easily 2.! Labels for the x-axis and y-axis. The x-axis is
and understood quickly. almost always a measure of time (e.g., sessions,
Line graph minutes, days). The y-axis is almost always the
dimension of the behaviour that is being measured
Most graphs used in applied behavioural research and
(e.g., frequency, duration, percent opportunities).
practice are line graphs. Here are the components of a
line graph: 3.! Numbers for the x-axis and y-axis. Little hash-
Baseline
6 Intervention marks lined up with the numbers help make the graph
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Number of Bites Consumed

easier to read.
3
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4 4.! Data points. These data points are connected up
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8 5 with a line.

6 5.! Phase lines. A dotted vertical line is drawn to

4 indicate important changes in the treatment. For
2 example, if you have graphed baseline data, then start
0 11 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
treatment, you would put a phase line between your
baseline data and your treatment data. You do not
Meals
2 connect the data points across phase lines.

6.! Phase labels. A label is written above each phase.

1.! The axis: For example “Baseline” would be written above the

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baseline phase. In the treatment phase the type of
treatment would be indicated.
60

Cumulative Minutes Whining

Cumulative Graph 50
A cumulative graph differs from a line graph in that
each data point plotted represents a total of all the 40
behaviour that has occurred up to that point. For
example, the day-2 data point is calculated by adding
30
the total of day-2 behaviour to the total for day-1, and
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plotting this cumulative total. Similarly, the day-3 data
point is the addition of day-3 behaviour to the 10
cumulative total graphed for day-2, and so on.

In a cumulative graph the data line will either go up (if 0

there has been more behaviour) or it will simply go flat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
if there has been no more behaviour. A cumulative
graph will never go down.
Days
With a cumulative graph you can see the rate of change
of behaviour more easily than with a line graph.
Cumulative graphs may be used to graph the total
number of skills that a child has mastered in a
comprehensive teaching program. Application Time!

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SECTION 2

Behavioural Objectives

agreement about what the changed behaviour should

Behavioural Objectives
Once a decision has been made to attempt to alter
behaviour, it then becomes important for all involved
in behavioural intervention to be clear and in
look like when completed.
A behavioural objective is a clear and precise statement
of the desired outcome of a behaviour change program.

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Often people get this confused with an operational defi-
nition. Remember, an operational definition is the be-
haviour YOU ARE MEASURING. The behavioural ob-
jective is WHAT THE GOAL BEHAVIOUR WILL
LOOK LIKE!
Sample Behavioural Objective:
During a private instructional session with the classroom
teacher, Timmy will learn to correctly identify letters of the
alphabet. Using alphabet flashcards, while sitting in a chair
at his desk across from the classroom teacher and asked,
“what’s this” Timmy will correctly identify 10 letters from
the alphabet with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive
sessions.
How to write a behavioural objective
1.! Identify the individual – what is the name of the
person for whom the objective is being written? (Your
course pack material uses the term “learner”.)
2.! Identify the target behaviour – the behaviour
should be operationally defined in observable terms as
described in Lesson 2.
3.! Identify the conditions under which the
behaviour is to occur. In this section the physical
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environment is described at the time the objective is to
take place. It may also include the levels of assistance
to be given, as well as the original request or demand
that will be used to prompt the behaviour.
4.! Identify the criteria for acceptable performance.
Here you would specify the level of the behaviour you
are aiming for. You will specify this in terms of
whatever dimension of the behaviour you are
interested in (e.g., rate? latency? duration? percent
correct?). Also, typically you would want to see a
behaviour performed at a certain level over a period of
time before you would consider the objective to have
been met. This must be specified as well.
How high a criterion would you set? That depends on
where the individual is starting from. Set your criterion
at a reasonable level – make it feasible for the individ-
ual to meet the criterion. It is encouraging for everyone
involved! Bear in mind that once the individual has
achieved one behavioural objective, a new objective can
be set.
EXAMPLE
Baseline data show that Bassam can accurately name
pictures of farm animals 10% of the time.

When shown a picture of a farm animal and asked

“What’s this?”, Bassam will name the animal with 80%
accuracy, 4 teaching sessions in a row.

Learner: Bassam

Target Behaviour: Name pictures of farm animals

Conditions: When shown a picture of a farm animal

and asked “what’s this?”

Criteria: 80% accuracy, 4 teaching sessions in a row.