Deck 14: Graphical Analysis of Behavioral Data

Question 1

In an attempt to avoid biases and preconceptions, an analytical style known as ______ may be used to focus on discovering order and structure in the data.

A) Exploratory data analysis
B) Confirmatory data analysis
C) Linear analysis
D) Logarithmic analysis

Answer 1

A

Question 2

When attempting to determine which calculations or kinds of graphs might highlight suspected features, one can look at the ______ and ______ of responding as each phase unfolds.

A) Variability; reliability
B) Accuracy; believability
C) Believability; validity
D) Ebb; flow

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In general, it is a good idea for data analysis to proceed from ______ techniques to ______ procedures.

A) More complex; relatively simple
B) Statistical; graphical
C) Relatively simple; more complex
D) Repeated measures; multiple baseline

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Researchers should begin data analysis:

A) once they have finished collecting all of the data
B) once interobserver agreement is at an acceptable level
C) after each phase of the study is completed
D) as soon as there are data to analyze

Question 5

Summarizing data within participants may occur in which two ways?

A) The investigator may summarize data over periods of time or across studies
B) The investigator may summarize data across environmental variables or over periods of time
C) The investigator may summarize data across participants or environmental variables
D) The investigator may summarize data over periods of time or across participants

Question 6

A collation of data across participants should not occur until:

A) data collection has been completed
B) any data that is not representative has been discarded
C) the data analysis on each individual's responding is complete
D) the interobserver agreement score is at an acceptable level

Question 7

When should data be discarded?

A) When the data do not support the researcher's original hypothesis of how responding should appear
B) When data are known to violate basic standards of measurement or are not collected under intended conditions
C) When the data do not provide a clear understanding of why the specific target behavior is occurring
D) Data should never be discarded

Question 8

All of the following are acceptable reasons for discarding data, except:

A) the equipment being used to measure responding malfunctioned
B) the participant was sick
C) the independent variable was not presented as originally intended
D) the investigator does not agree with what the data are indicating

Question 9

On a typical graph used in behavioral research, ______ is indicated on the horizontal axis and ______ is indicated on the vertical axis:

A) frequency; duration
B) responding; time
C) time; responding
D) celeration; latency

Question 10

______ interval scales allow descriptions of events that show how much they differ in terms of equal ratios between values:

A) logarithmic
B) partial
C) linear
D) whole

Question 11

When deciding what unit of time to use on the horizontal axis, the investigator should select:

A) the largest unit of time likely to show systematic variability
B) the unit of time that has been used most frequently by similar studies
C) the smallest unit of time likely to show systematic variability
D) the highest and lowest values in the data set and take their average

Question 12

When displaying time on the horizontal axis, why is it important to represent time continuously?

A) Representing time in a discontinuous manner can hide variability in the data
B) Displaying time continuously allows the investigator to save space on the axis
C) By depicting time in a continuous manner, the researcher decreases the likelihood that the data will be influenced by extraneous variables
D) Displaying a continuous measure of time increases the likelihood that the data are reliable

Question 13

When data contain one or two outliers, the investigator should do what to the vertical axis?

A) Insert a break in the vertical axis to accommodate those data points and not have to compress the scale for the remaining values
B) Select values that will display the majority of the data points and then include a note that tells the observer about the outliers
C) Discard the outliers and place the remaining data in the graph
D) Change the values on the vertical axis to accommodate the outliers and keep them in the correct spatial relation to the remaining values

Question 14

The rule for whether you draw a line connecting a Tuesday data point to a Thursday data point when there was no observation on Wednesday is: if the behavior could have occurred but was not observed ______ the data points. If the behavior could not have occurred ______ the data points:

A) connect; do not connect
B) connect; connect
C) do not connect; connect
D) do not connect; do not connect

Question 15

What makes the cumulative recorder valuable is not so much the cumulative picture it creates but the fact that it locates individual responses on a horizontal axis representing ______.

A) count
B) time
C) percent of scored intervals
D) celeration

Question 16

Summarizing data across participants is problematic because

A) there are limits of what can be said based on group data
B) there is no such thing as a "group" organism
C) a group "effect" not found in individual records should not be considered a sole result of treatment
D) all of the above are problematic limitations

Question 17

The more an analytical technique changes the picture of the behavioral results as they actually happened, the greater the risk the interpretations are swayed more by the ________ than by ______.

A) data; results
B) results; individual
C) technique; results
D) results; data

Question 18

Although two different graphical analyses of the same data set may be constructed correctly, they would likely evoke different _______ from viewers.

A) interpretations of results
B) journal publication decisions
C) target behavior definitions
D) calculations

Question 19

Shanice is a BCBA who is graphing her client's data. Why are graphs important for her clinical work?

A) Data serve as stimuli that influence her reactions to what is going on with her client's behavior
B) Data influence her interpretations of results of clinical interventions
C) Data encourage her to make the most effective treatment decisions
D) All of these are reasons graphs are important

Question 20

Not all data are worthy of _________.

A) collection
B) analysis
C) accumulation
D) recording

Question 21

Describe how data are often "the only source of information available about a participant's actions"?

Question 22

Why is it especially important to view the experimenter's actions from a behavioral perspective when considering data analysis?

Question 23

Explain how two different graphical analyses of the same data set could produce two different interpretations or conclusions about the data.

Question 24

Describe the main problems with summarizing behavioral data.

Question 25

When is it appropriate to discard data?

Question 26

What influence should the nature of the data have on the decision to discard them?

Question 27

In behavioral research, what do the horizontal and vertical axes usually represent?

Question 28

When displaying time on the horizontal axis, why is it important to represent time continuously?

Question 29

Describe the two rules for what to do graphically if there are no data for a particular day.

Question 30

Why is it okay or even useful to summarize data within participants but problematic to summarize data across participants?

Question 31

Why do behavioral researchers typically start with simple data analysis procedures and then move to more complex options?

Question 32

When would a researcher not want to use a histogram?

Question 33

Explain how a cumulative graph is constructed.

Question 34

Why is it a problem to delay analytical efforts until data collection is complete?

Question 35

What is the difference between the selection of representative participants versus selecting representative records?

Question 36

When could problems arise when interpreting line graphs?

Question 37

Describe the reasoning behind connecting adjacent data points when measurement did not take place during "ignored" days.

Question 38

What happens in a cumulative graph when (a) no responses are recorded for a series of days and (b) if a new result is zero.

Question 39

Why is knowing the component of a graph so important for interpreting graphed data?

Question 40

List the 4 issues to consider when scaling axes on a graph.