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Continuous recording and interobserver agreement algorithms reported in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
Oliver C Mudford1, Sarah Ann Taylor, Neil T Martin
1Applied Behaviour Analysis Programme, Department of Psychology, University of Auckland (Tamaki Campus), Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand. o.mudford@auckland.ac.nz
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|September 2, 2009
Summary
This review of Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis articles found continuous recording is common for free-operant human behavior research. It also identifies popular interobserver agreement methods used in these studies.
Area of Science:
- Behavior Analysis
- Psychology
- Research Methodology
Background:
- The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) is a key publication in behavior analysis.
- Understanding common research practices in JABA is crucial for researchers and consumers of the literature.
- Interobserver agreement is a critical measure for ensuring the reliability of behavioral data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the methodologies used in JABA articles published between 1995 and 2005.
- To identify the prevalence of continuous recording for free-operant human behaviors.
- To describe and explain commonly used interobserver agreement computation algorithms.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review of 168 articles published in 10 volumes of JABA (Vol. 28(3) to Vol. 38(2)).
- Data extraction focused on the recording methods used for free-operant human behaviors.
- Analysis of the types and frequency of interobserver agreement methods reported.
Main Results:
- Continuous recording was the predominant data collection method, used in 55% of the analyzed articles.
- Three specific interobserver agreement methods were frequently reported: exact agreement, block-by-block agreement, and time-window analysis.
- These methods were employed in over 10 articles that utilized continuous recording.
Conclusions:
- Continuous recording is a widely adopted method for studying free-operant human behavior in JABA.
- Researchers frequently use specific algorithms for calculating interobserver agreement, necessitating clear understanding.
- This review provides valuable information for researchers, software developers, and readers of JABA articles to interpret agreement data accurately.
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