Data-Driven Decision Making Flashcards
7 cards from real ABA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Data-Driven Decision Making flashcards as text
A behavior analyst is deciding whether to move a client to a maintenance phase. Which data criterion most directly supports this decision?
Answer: The behavior has met the mastery criterion for the required number of consecutive sessions
Advancement to maintenance is data-driven and requires the client to have met the pre-established mastery criterion for the specified number of consecutive sessions.
What does the 'level' of data refer to when visually analyzing a graph?
Answer: The average or median value of the data within a phase
Level refers to the overall magnitude or value of the data within a phase, often represented by the mean or median of that phase.
During a reversal design, behavior returns to near-baseline levels when treatment is withdrawn. What does this finding indicate?
Answer: The treatment was functionally related to changes in the behavior
Behavior reverting to baseline levels when treatment is removed demonstrates a functional (causal) relationship between the intervention and the behavior change.
A BCBA records that a client emitted 15 responses in a 30-minute session. What is the response rate per minute?
Answer: 0.5 responses per minute
Rate is calculated by dividing the count by the observation time: 15 responses ÷ 30 minutes = 0.5 responses per minute.
Which type of graph is most appropriate for displaying cumulative data to assess the total amount of behavior over time?
Answer: Cumulative record
A cumulative record adds each new data point to the running total, making it ideal for displaying the overall accumulation of responses across time.
A BCBA is reviewing a scatterplot and notices that a target behavior clusters in the early morning sessions. What is the primary utility of this finding?
Answer: It identifies temporal patterns that may guide antecedent or schedule modifications
Scatterplot patterns revealing temporal clustering help analysts identify environmental or schedule-related antecedent conditions that may be influencing the behavior.
According to data-based decision making guidelines, when should a BCBA make a programmatic change based on a 'decreasing trend' in an acquisition program?
Answer: After three or more consecutive data points below the aim line showing a downward trend
A common decision rule requires three or more consecutive data points below the aim line with a decelerating trend before modifying an acquisition program.