ABA Glossary

By Dana Meller, M.A., BCBA
Edited by Tyra Sellers, J.D., Ph.D., BCBA-D
ABA Glossary by Dana Meller, M.A., BCBA, edited by Tyra Sellers, J.D., Ph.D., BCBA-D

Reactivity

Refers to the changes in an individual’s behavior due to the presence of an observer.

5th Edition Task List

C-8  Evaluate the validity and reliability of measurement procedures.

6th Edition TCO

D.3. Identify threats to internal validity (e.g., history, maturation).

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  • Warm-up effects
    Refers to when initial response rates in baseline are weaker due to a subject needing to get warmed up.
  • Subject confounds
    Any uncontrolled participant-related variables that may interfere with the outcomes of an intervention and therefore the internal validity of an experiment.
  • Setting confounds
    Any uncontrolled variables in the treatment setting that could impact the outcomes and/or the effectiveness of an intervention and therefore the internal validity of the experiment.
  • Practice effects
    Refers to an improvement in responding from the opportunity to practice a behavior, specifically during prolonged baseline measurement periods.
  • Maturation
    Refers to the changes in a subject over the course of the study that result from natural growth and development.
  • Measurement confounds
    Uncontrolled variables related to the environment, the measurement tools, or a data collector’s behavior that may interfere with the measurement of behavior and therefore impact the outcomes and/or the effectiveness…
  • Independent variable (IV) confounds
    Uncontrolled environmental variables that may interfere with the outcomes and/or the effectiveness of an intervention and therefore the internal validity of the experiment.
  • Extraneous variables
    Any aspect of the environment that must be held constant to prevent unplanned environmental variations during experimentation, usually something the experimenter is aware of and for which they do their…
  • ABA terms you need to know: confounding variables.Confounding variables
    Result can elicit a reflexive behavior.
  • Bootleg reinforcement
    Reinforcement that is accessed without meeting the response requirements of the contingency.
  • Attrition
    A reduction in the number of study participants, which can impact the validity and reliability of the findings and compromise the integrity of the data.
  • Adaptation
    Refers to the changes in operant responding due to the repeated presentation of a particular antecedent stimulus.
  • ABA terms you need to know: validity.Validity
    Measurement is trustworthy when the measurement that produces data is applicable and specific to the target behavior of interest and the relevant dimension of that behavior; in other words, you…
  • Reliability
    Measurement is trustworthy when the degree to which repeating a measurement procedure under the same conditions produces the same result.
  • Observer drift
    When observers collecting data have a shift/drift in how they interpret the operational definition of the target behavior that affects the validity of their data.
  • Observer reactivity
    When an observer’s data collection or performance is influenced by the awareness that they are being monitored and evaluated.
  • Measurement artifact
    Data that represents an unwarranted and misleading picture of behavior because of how it was measured, typically a product of time-sampling, limiting measurement scales, or poorly scheduled measurement periods.
  • Measurement bias
    When an observer’s measurement is influenced by an expectation or belief they hold rather than what actually occurred.
  • ABA terms you need to know: Interobserver agreement.Interobserver agreement (IOA)
    A measurement of the degree to which two or more observers report the same values when observing and collecting data for the same behaviors/events.
  • Accuracy
    The degree to which what was measured (observed value) is representative of what actually occurred (true value); in other words, the data was measured correctly.
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