Lesson 17: Data Collection

Attention

Accurate data collection is important in many ways.

FIRST--we collect initial data to determine if the problem is worth working on
SECOND--we collect ongoing data about the behavior to determine if what we are doing is making a difference!

WITHOUT DATA YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW IF IT IS WORKING!

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

• Identify the purposes of data collection at the throughout the plan development process
• Identify the advantages of "self-tracking" as a part of behavior planning
• Reflect on your own "self-tracking" behaviors and their effectiveness
• Create developmentally approapriate tracking sheets

Teaching

If you didn't record it, you didn't do it!

This is a rather strong statement, but in many of the professions it is the truth. We need to document what we do, not just believe or assume that we did it. This is particularly true in behavior management. Recording data needs to be a part of EVERY plan. In fact, many of you have already created plans and forms that can be used to accurately record data.

Data BEFORE the Plan

The first time we collect data is before we even begin planning. Our psychology tends to perceive problems as bigger than they really are. We first need to evaluate if the "problem" we want to solve is worth all this work!

This is called getting the "baseline" data. It records the current instance of the behavior.

Example: Let's say I wanted to start a new exercise program that included a mile run 3x a week. My baseline, at this point, would be that the behavior is occurring at a NEVER frequency! So my baseline occurrance would be 0

We gather baseline data to answer two questions:

1. Is this behavior problem worth creating a plan to address?
2. What is the current rate of the behavior?

We want to know the current rate of behavior so we can set new goals to increase or decrease the frequency of the behavior

Data DURING the Plan

We gather data during the plan to see, initially, any sort of changes our plan may be having...we have to be mindful, however, of two tendancies that we can see:

1. Things may dramatically improve as a result of the Hawthorn Effect or Pink Cloud
   1. Hawthorn Effect is the change in behavior attributable to just being observed...we see this when the boss walks into the room and suddenly everyone is productive
   2. Pink Cloud is when we feel the plan is great, we are excited about it, everyone is excited about it...we have solved the problems of the world...the pain has not set in yet
2. Things may dramatically get worse
   1. We see this happen when we are trying to eliminate unacceptable behaviors...they may "upt the ante"
   2. We see this when we are stuck in a plan and perceive that we are being "controlled" by the plan and we resist this control

If we see things not working, despite our desire to patiently wait out these processes mentioned above, we can make changes to the plan. We can change any aspect of the ABC plan, we wrote it..we can change it.

Data AFTER the Plan

After the plan we want to evaluate how well it worked. How does it compare to the original baseline data? This is the Assessment part of the cycle. With these results we determine the following:

1. Is the plan done and we have successfully changed the behavior?
2. Is the behavior changed but we need to maintain the plan for longer?
3. Do we need to stop the plan because it is not working?
4. Do we need to stop the plan so we can revise it?
5. Do we need to revise any aspect of the ABC parts of the plan?

Types of Data

When we are getting ready to collect data we need to collect the right type of data for the type of behaviors that we are measuring.

Types of Data Include

• Frequency Data---the number of times it occurs in a period of time
• Duration Data---the length of time a behavior occurs
• Interval Data---whether the behavior occurred or did not occur in a specified time
• Data specific to the measure---such as grades, scores, etc.

Example: Let's take a look at my running plan. I can measure this in a few ways. I can measure how OFTEN I go running (this would be a Frequency measure), I can measure how LONG I run (this would be a Druation recording) and I can measure how many weeks include running sessions (this would be an Interval measure), and/or I can measure how FAR I run (which is a measure specific to this type of behavior).

We want to look at our goals, the actual behaviors that we want to see happen, and determine what is the best way to measure them. The question to ask is:

What data do I need to decide and KNOW that this behavior is IMPROVING?

Getting Pragmatic

Another key factor to keep in mind is pragmatics. What are you actually going to really, really, really do? You don't want the process of recording to be to intense and time consuming so you have to come up with ways to measure that are easy to use. (Particularly if you have to have a number of people using them)

Consider the following factors when you are designing recording instruments:

• Where are you going to do the recording (in the classroom, at home, in the car, on trips, outside...)
• Who is going to do the recording (multiple teachers, only one, the student themselves...)

When you create documents to record data in you need to keep these things in mind.

If you are going to create documents that will be used by the "client" then you need to make them fun.

Example: In my running plan I might record the data on my fridge on a form, in a spreadsheet on my computer...or, even better, I get the Nike+ Application for my iPhone and I track all my running on that! Way cool for a tech junkie like me.

Sometimes you want to create ways of recording that work for your client!

Assessment

Lesson 17 Discussion

In this discussion I want you to share your own forms of self tracking...calendars, to do lists, charts...and reflect on how effective they are for you to keep "on task" and get things done. Reflect on ways in which you might improve your own performance with the utilization of these kinds of tools

Lesson 17 Assignment

In this assignment you are going to practice the “art” of creating fun and engaging ways to chart behavior.

Remember the more fun and easy the form is to use, the more likely it is to be used.

Here is what needs to be on the form:

Your name
A place to name the client or student
A description of an ABC plan and the B must meet both the “Dead Man” and “Stranger” tests
A chart or graph or some sort of way to record the instances of the behavior.

Tips:

Be neat and precise
Use graphics to make the chart look appealing
It must be easy to understand and use for anyone, not just YOU!

You will be graded based on the following rubric: