CONTROL OF ARITHMETIC ERRORS USING INFORMATIONAL FEEDBACK AND GRAPHING1

The effect of informational feedback and graphing on reducing the number of arithmetic worksheet errors was investigated. The present study replicated and extended earlier findings with other populations (Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1974, 7 , 547–555; 1970, 3 , 1–4; 1970, 3 , 235–240) to a first-grade classroom. Ten first-grade pupils (four males and six females) served in an ABAB design. During the feedback-only phase, subjects were provided informational feedback, in the form of a written number, on the number of errors made on individual arithmetic worksheets. The feedback-only phase lasted seven days and was followed by the feedback-plus-graphing phase, during which subjects graphed the number (of errors written at the top of the individual worksheet) daily on individual graphs on their desks. The feedback-plus-graphing phase lasted 10 days and was followed by a reversal to feedback only for 10 days. The final phase was a replication of the feedback-plus-graphing phase. All subjects showed a change in number of worksheet errors, in the predicted direction, during the feedback-plus-graphing phases. An overall mean difference of ?2.66 was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.01), using a Wilcoxson Matched-Pairs Sign Test. The results were interpreted as being empirical support for earlier findings in other populations. In addition, the present findings represented a successful extension of feedback and graphing interventions to the management of academic behaviors in a first-grade classroom.     

Comparing instructor-led,video-model,and no-instruction control tutorials for creating single-subject graphs in Microsoft Excel: A systematic replication and extension

Visual inspection of single-subject data is the primary method for behavior analysts to interpret the effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable; however, there is no consensus on the most suitable method for teaching graph construction for single-subject designs. We systematically replicated and extended Tyner and Fienup (2015) using a repeated-measures between-subjects design to compare the effects of instructor-led, video-model, and no-instruction control tutorials on the graphing performance of 81 master's students with some reported Microsoft Excel experience. Our mixed-design analysis revealed a statistically significant main effect of pretest, tutorial, and posttest submissions for each tutorial group and a nonsignificant main effect of tutorial group. Tutorial group significantly interacted with submissions, suggesting that both instructor-led and video-model tutorials may be superior to providing graduate students with a written list of graphing conventions (i.e., control condition). Finally, training influenced performance on an untrained graph type (multielement) for all tutorial groups.     

Developing Clear and Useful Scoring Procedures for Goal Attainment Scaling in Longitudinal Case Studies

This article examines scoring procedures for Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) and suggests a new scoring procedure to communicate GAS outcomes in longitudinal studies. Analysis is based on longitudinal case studies that evaluate transitioning from psychiatric institutions to independent living. Five scoring methods are identified: raw scores; sum of score differences; mean scores; T-scores; and graphing raw scores. Graphing raw scores is presented as an alternative method of expressing GAS scores for studies with few participants and multiple time points. This enables easy interpretation of goal attainment, and allows for fluctuation in performance as is typical in clinical practice.     

CREATING SINGLE‐SUBJECT DESIGN GRAPHS IN MICROSOFT EXCEL™ 2007

Over 10 years have passed since the publication of Carr and Burkholder's (1998) technical article on how to construct single‐subject graphs using Microsoft Excel. Over the course of the past decade, the Excel program has undergone a series of revisions that make the Carr and Burkholder paper somewhat difficult to follow with newer versions. The present article provides task analyses for constructing various types of commonly used single‐subject design graphs in Microsoft Excel 2007. The task analyses were evaluated using a between‐subjects design that compared the graphing skills of 22 behavior‐analytic graduate students using Excel 2007 and either the Carr and Burkholder or newly developed task analyses. Results indicate that the new task analyses yielded more accurate and faster graph construction than the Carr and Burkholder instructions.