What is the difference between event recording and interval recording?
A. Event recording is used by a behaviour analyst, whereas interval recording is used by a teacher.
B. Event recording is a type of observation, whereas interval recording is a type of assessment.
C. Event recording roofers to how many times a behaviour occurs in an allotted period of time, whereas interval recording refers to whether or not the problem behaviour occurs in each brief time segment of analysis.
D. Event recording refers to how often a problem behaviour occurs during a particularly salient event (such as a birthday party), whereas interval recording refers to how often a problem behaviour occurs during an uneventful interval (such as the month of March).”
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is:
C. Event recording refers to how many times a behavior occurs in an allotted period of time, whereas interval recording refers to whether or not the problem behavior occurs in each brief time segment of analysis.
Explanation:
Event recording and interval recording are both methods used in behavioral analysis to measure the frequency and occurrence of behaviors. However, they differ in how they collect data and what they measure.
Event Recording:
- This method counts the number of times a behavior occurs within a specific time period.
- It is useful for behaviors with a clear beginning and end, such as hand-raising, hitting, or verbal outbursts.
- For example, if a teacher wants to measure how often a student calls out in class without raising their hand, they can record each occurrence throughout the lesson.
Interval Recording:
- This method divides an observation period into smaller time intervals (e.g., 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute) and records whether the behavior occurs during each interval.
- It does not measure how many times the behavior occurs but whether it is present or absent during the interval.
- There are two main types of interval recording:
- Partial-interval recording: The behavior is recorded if it happens at any point during the interval.
- Whole-interval recording: The behavior is recorded only if it occurs for the entire duration of the interval.
- For example, a teacher might observe a student for 10-minute periods, breaking each period into 30-second intervals to determine whether the student engages in off-task behavior.
Key Difference:
Event recording provides a precise count of how often a behavior occurs, while interval recording provides an estimate of whether or not a behavior happens within specific time segments.
Here is an illustration showing the difference between event recording and interval recording in behavior analysis.