Practice Graphing Behavioral Baseline Data Collection

Part 2: Baseline Data Collection & Graphing

The purpose of this assignment is to get practice collecting and graphing behavioral data.  For this assignment, you are required to collect baseline data on your selected target behavior and outlined operational definition(s). Once you've collected your baseline data, you will be tasked with creating a graph(s) to visually depict your data. Please incorporate any feedback you received on your operational definition, data sheet, and data collection plan from Part 1 prior to taking baseline data.

Complete each of the following: 

COLLECT BASELINE DATA

1. Based on your outlined observation plan (Part 1), collect a minimum of 5 sessions of baseline data.

2. Upload completed data sheets (can be attached as file or a picture of completed data sheets). 

Note: Remember each observational session should be the same length based on what you outlined in your observation plan (e.g., all 20-minute sessions, all 4-hour sessions, all one-day sessions). Labeling your data sheet by date or session number will be helpful to keep your data sheets in order for graphing.

GRAPHING

3. Create line graph(s) of your data using excel (or a similar platform).

Graph(s) should include all relevant graphing components. Components to include:

A. Data represented as line graph.  If you think your data would be better represented by a different type of graph–please email me.

B. y- and x-axes are representative of collected data (i.e., if you are collecting data on rate of behavior per day, your data should represent the rate (y-axis) across days(x-axis))

B. y-axis label

C. x-axis label

D. Tick marks on both axes

E. Phase Label (e.g., baseline)

F. Goal line (if applicable)

Note: Looking back at D & B Chapter 8 and the graphing tutorial in Module 4 may be helpful.

** Recommendations for graph: 

       A. Use consistent colors within your graph (i.e., axes, tick marks, labels are all the same color). Graphs are preferably completed in               black-and-white.

      B. Use consistent font.  Preferred–Times New Roman

     C. Use markers as data points.  This makes your data easier to visualize compared to only using a line (Circles are most often used as         markers).

    D. Remove gridlines–this helps make the visualization of your data clearer.

4. Upload the excel file (or similar spreadsheet) with completed graph(s). 

DATA COLLECTION SUMMARY

5. Provide a summary of your experience with collecting baseline data.  What were things that went well during data collection? What were things that were difficult?  Were any issues encountered?  If you were tasked with collecting data again and could make any changes or adjustments to the data collection process you outlined, what would they be? (e.g., changes to operational definition, session length, data collection procedure, etc.). Did you notice similar antecedents and consequences that you described in your PICNIC analysis from Part 1? Provide comments on any other things that you found were notable through collecting baseline data.