| Term | Definition |
|---|
| data | the results of measurement, usually in quantifiable form |
| graph | a visual format for displaying data; reveals relations among and between a series of measurements and relevant variables |
| bar graph | a graphic format that shares most of the line graph's features except that it does not have distinct data points representing succesive response measures through time (also called a histogram) |
| cumulative record | a type of graph on which the cumulative number of responses emitted is represented on the vertical axis; the steeper the slope of the data path, the greater the response rate |
| cumulative recorder | a device that automatically draws cumulative records that show the rate of response in real time |
| data path | the level and trend of behavior between successive data points |
| dependent variable | the variable in an experiment measured to determine if it changes as a result of manipulations of the independent variable |
| independent variable | the variable that is systematically manipulated by the researcher in an experiment to see whether changes in the independent variable produce reliable changes in the dependent variable |
| level | the value on the vertical axis around which a series of behavioral measures converge |
| line graph | the most common graphic format for displaying data in applied behavior analysis; any point within the plane represents a specific relation between the two dimensions described by the intersecting lines |
| local response rate | the average rate of response during a smaller period of time within a larger period for which an overall response rate has been given |
| overall response rate | the rate of response over a given time period |
| scatterplot | a two-dimensional graph that shows the relative distribution of individual measures in a data set with respect to the variables depicted by the x and y axes (data points are not connected) |
| semilogarithmic chart | a two-dimensional graph with a logarithmic scaled y axis so that equal distances on the vertical axis represent changes in behavior that are of equal proportion |
| split-middle line of progress | a line drawn through a series of graphed data points that shows the overall trend in the data |
| Standard Celeration Chart | a multiply-divide chart with six base-10 cycles on the vertical axis taht can accommodate response rates as low as 1 per 24 hours to as high as 1,000 per minute |
| trend | the overall direction taken by a data path |
| variability | the frequency and extent to which multiple measures of behavior yield different outcomes |
| visual analysis | a systematic approach for interpreting the results of behavioral research and treatment programs that entails visual inspection of graphed data for variability, level, and trend within and between experimental conditions |
| data path | created by drawing a straight line from the center of each data point in a given data set to the center of the next data point in the same set |
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