Celeration
The change in rate of responding over time; based on count per unit of time; expressed as a factor by which responding is
accelerating or decelerating.
Continuous Measurement
Measurement conducted in a manner such that all instances of the response class(es) of interest are detected during the
observation period.
Discontinuous Measurement
Measurement conducted in a manner such that some instances of the response class(es) of interest may not be detected.
Duration
The total time that behavior occurs; measured by elapsed time from the onset of a response to its end point.
Event Recording
Measurement procedure for obtaining a tally or count of the number of times a behavior occurs.
Free Operant
Any operant behavior that results in minimal displacement of the participant in time and space. It can be emitted at nearly
any time; it is discrete, it requires minimal time for completion, and it can produce a wide range of response rates.
Frequency
How often a behavior occurs.
Function-Based Definition
Designates responses as members of the targeted response class solely in terms of their common effect on the environment.
Interobserver Agreement
The degree to which two or more independent observers report the same observed values after measuring the same events.
Latency
A measure of temporal locus; the elapsed time from the onset of a stimulus to the initiation of a response.
Magnitude
The force or intensity with which a response is emitted.
Momentary Time Sampling
A measurement method in which the presence or absence of behaviors is recorded at precisely specified time intervals.
Observer Drift
Any unintended change in the way an observer uses a measurement system over the course of an investigation that results
in measurement error.
Observer Reactivity
Influence on the data reported by an observer that results from the observer’s awareness that others are evaluating the data.
Partial-Interval Recording
A time sampling method for measuring behavior in which the observation period is divided into a series of brief time
intervals and the observer records whether the target behavior occurred at any time during the interval.
Permanent Product
A change in the environment produced by a behavior that lasts long enough for measurement to take place.
