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 calculates 'percentage of non-overlapping data' (PND) between a baseline and intervention phase. A PND of 90% would indicate what?
Answer: A strong treatment effect
PND above 70% (and especially above 90%) is generally interpreted as evidence of a strong treatment effect, meaning most intervention data points exceed baseline levels.
Which of the following is a limitation of using percentage correct as the primary dependent variable in skill acquisition programs?
Answer: It does not account for response speed or fluency
Percentage correct only measures accuracy and ignores fluency (speed), which means a client may achieve 100% accuracy but still perform too slowly for functional use.
A BCBA collects data using a 10-second partial interval recording procedure. What does a data point of 70% represent?
Answer: The behavior occurred in at least part of 70% of the observation intervals
Partial interval recording scores an interval as positive if the behavior occurred at any point during it, so 70% means the behavior was detected in 70% of intervals, which typically overestimates actual duration.
When evaluating behavior change, 'clinical significance' differs from 'statistical significance' in that clinical significance refers to:
Answer: A change that is meaningful and functional in the client's daily life
Clinical (or social) significance evaluates whether the magnitude of behavior change makes a practical, meaningful difference in the client's functioning and quality of life.
A practitioner is graphing latency data for a client learning to comply with instructions. A decreasing trend in latency data means:
Answer: The client is responding more quickly over time, indicating improvement
Latency measures the time from a cue to the onset of a response; a decreasing latency trend indicates the client is responding faster, which typically signals improvement in compliance.
Which practice BEST demonstrates the principle of making data-based decisions rather than intuition-based decisions in ABA?
Answer: Using pre-established decision rules applied to graphed data to guide program changes
Pre-established decision rules applied to objective, graphed data exemplify the empirical, data-driven approach that distinguishes ABA from intuition-based practice.
A client's intervention data show an 'ascending trend' on a behavior targeted for reduction. What is the most appropriate interpretation?
Answer: The target behavior is increasing, indicating the intervention is not working as intended
An ascending (increasing) trend in a behavior targeted for reduction indicates the intervention is failing or possibly making the behavior worse, necessitating review.