In a series of two studies, we graphed simulated data representing continuous duration recording and continuous frequency recording into ABAB reversal designs depicting small, moderate, and large behavior changes during 10-min, 30-min, and 60-min sessions. Data sets were re-scored using partialinterval recording and momentary time sampling with interval sizes set at 10 s, 20 s, 30 s, 1 min, and 2 min. In study 1, we visually inspected converted data for experimental control and compared the conclusion with those from the respective continuous duration recording or continuous frequency recording data to test for false negatives. In study 2, we evaluated the extent to which interval methods that were sensitive to changes in study 1 produced false positives. In part, the results show that momentary time sampling with interval sizes up to 30 s detected a wide range of changes in duration events and frequency events during lengthier observation periods. The practical implications of the findings are briefly discussed.

The authors assessed the extent to which multielement designs produced false positives using continuous duration recording (CDR) and interval recording with 10-s and 1-min interval sizes. Specifically, they created 6,000 graphs with multielement designs that varied in the number of data paths, and the number of data points per data path, using a random number generator. In Experiment 1, the authors visually analyzed the graphs for the occurrence of false positives. Results indicated that graphs depicting only two sessions for each condition (e.g., a control condition plotted with multiple test conditions) produced the highest percentage of false positives for CDR and interval recording with 10-s and 1-min intervals. Conversely, graphs with four or five sessions for each condition produced the lowest percentage of false positives for each method. In Experiment 2, they applied two new rules, which were intended to decrease false positives, to each graph that depicted a false positive in Experiment 1. Results showed that application of new rules decreased false positives to less than 5% for all of the graphs except for those with two data paths and two data points per data path. Implications for brief assessments are discussed.

The current study evaluated the effects of teaching three programs using massed-trial teaching (MTT) versus interspersed-trial teaching (ITT) for three participants diagnosed with autism. Specifically, we compared the (i) rate of response acquisition, (ii) percentage of trials per session with problem behavior, and (iii) number of acquisition targets maintained following mastery. For all three participants, the rate of acquisition was higher under MTT than ITT, and levels of problem behavior were similar in both conditions for each participant. Perhaps the only advantage of ITT over MTT was maintenance of targets at the follow-up probes for two participants; however, neither approach yielded consistently high levels of correct responding across 2-, 4-, and 6-week follow-up probes. Collectively, results for these three participants provide some evidence for the additive benefit of MTT over ITT.

We evaluated the extent to which noncontingent access to one or multiple items and the contingent removal of a specific item decreased a young boy's spitting. Results indicated that the boy's spitting did not decrease when he was given noncontingent access to multiple, alternative stimuli or to a toy radio. By contrast, when the toy radio was removed contingent on spitting, the rate of the boy's spitting decreased to zero or near-zero levels. Similar results were produced in the boy's special education classroom. Follow-up sessions conducted 2 and 4 months later indicated that the reduction in the boy's spitting persisted across time.