Test Your ABA Behavior Assessment Terminology ➠ ABC Recording Methods
March 29, 2023
ABC recording is a type of direct assessment that gives us a data-based approach to get information to form a hypothesis about the function of the target behavior. It also gives us a means of gathering conditional probability data for that behavior’s occurrence. If you’re not familiar with conditional probabilities, it calculates the possibility that the target behavior will occur given specific circumstances or under specific circumstances, and those circumstances are the antecedents and the consequences.
There are two types of ABC data recording methods. One of them is called ABC continuous recording, and the other is ABC narrative recording. The latter utilizes a checklist format. The A, B, and C columns are going to have options and checklists to choose from. As you’re observing the behavior, you’re checking all that apply, whether it’s checking the applicable antecedents, behaviors, or consequences. Again, they’re already listed there for you to choose from. This type of data is collected during natural routines, but within a specified period of time, typically about a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes that is dedicated to this observation period to gather this type of ABC data.
Now, ABC narrative is likely the format you’ve seen more regularly. With this method, the data is only collected when the behavior is observed. It’s not that you’ve dedicated a specific period; behavior occurs, you mark it; behavior doesn’t occur, you don’t mark it. This is gathered or collected on an open-ended blank ABC data sheet. It’s considered to be less time-consuming because you don’t have to commit to that period of time, and the data is only recorded if and when the behavior occurs, or the target behavior is displayed.
Like the ABC continuous, ABC narrative also just gives us that hypothesized function and helps us derive a conditional probability as well. There are some accuracy concerns with this particular method because a recorder might not be trained well enough and may only list inferred states. For example, describing an antecedent as the client got jealous or frustrated. Another problem people might face is if there is just too much narrative, too much information; what happens is it complicates and compromises deriving that conditional probability information.
