Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychology
Committee Chair
Claire St. Peter Pipkin.
Abstract
Descriptive analyses, in which observers record behavior in the natural environment, are the most common procedure for completing functional behavioral assessments in schools. Because numerous studies have demonstrated that descriptive analyses do not consistently identify response-reinforcer relations, the frequent use of these assessments by educators is problematic. Attempts to improve the accuracy of descriptive analyses have focused on methods for analyzing descriptive assessment data. The current study compared three methods of analysis commonly cited in the behavior-analytic literature to determine whether these analyses produced similar results. Additionally, we included a treatment component to evaluate whether these methods of analysis produced effective interventions. For all participants, identical outcomes were obtained across at least two methods of descriptive analysis. For one of the participants, results from the descriptive analysis resulted in an effective intervention.
Recommended Citation
Brosh, Ellen N., "A Comparison of Methods for Evaluating Descriptive Analyses" (2011). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 3308.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/3308