Fred has noticed that when Ricky ends a rant, he typically pauses for three or four minutes then resumes ranting. He decided to introduce a self-calming activity during the pause to try to eliminate the repetitive rants or at least extend the amount of time between iterations. To assess effectiveness, he would need to collect ________ data.
A. Frequency
Your Answer
B. Inter-response Time
C. Latency
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is B. Inter-response Time (IRT).
Explanation:
Inter-response Time (IRT) measures the duration between the end of one behavior and the start of the next occurrence of the same behavior. In the scenario described, Ricky pauses for a few minutes after a rant before resuming. Fred’s goal is to extend the time between Ricky’s rants by introducing a self-calming activity. Measuring the time between the end of one rant and the beginning of the next (i.e., the IRT) is the most relevant data to determine whether the intervention is effective.
Why not Frequency?
Frequency refers to the number of times a behavior occurs within a specific time frame. While frequency data can provide insights into the overall occurrence of rants, it does not capture the critical time gap between rants, which is the specific focus of Fred’s intervention. Frequency would be useful if the goal were to count how often rants happen, but it does not directly assess whether the time between rants has increased.
Why not Latency?
Latency refers to the time from a specific cue or stimulus to the onset of a behavior. For example, if a triggering event causes Ricky to begin a rant, measuring latency would involve timing how long it takes him to start ranting after that event. This is not applicable in Fred’s case because the focus is on the intervals between rants, not the response to a stimulus.
Importance of IRT Data
By measuring IRT, Fred can determine whether the self-calming activity is successful in:
- Extending the pause between rants.
- Potentially reducing the overall frequency of rants over time.
IRT data provides actionable insights, as it directly reflects the primary goal of the intervention.