This article highlights a core lesson that has been used in a number of Lincoln Park Zoo educational programs. The lesson teaches students to conduct an ethological, or animal behavior, study on a bird. This study can be implemented in a variety of outdoor settings, including a park, schoolyard, or zoo. Using an ethogram, students will practice…

Fjellstedt and Sulzer-Azaroff (1973) used differential reinforcement of short latencies to decrease a child's latency to comply with instructions. We replicated this contingency with a young man diagnosed with Asperger syndrome across two tasks (question answering and math problem solving). We added a differential reinforcement contingency to…

This paper takes as its starting point an examination of the current status of some of the concerns that were raised in the mid-1980s about methodological problems faced by educational researchers using the behavioural approach in schools. These concerns included the measurement of agreement between observers, the interpretation of raw data…

This article describes a system based on the Epson HX-20 used for real time (rather than time-sample) recording of behavior observation data, which allows the researcher additional options in analysis. Examples of the programs developed, types of research questions asked, and data analyses conducted are provided. (Author/PB)

We tested the effect of a Rotated Protocol Immersion package on the emergence of observing responses as prerequisites for more complex verbal developmental capabilities. Three elementary aged students between the ages of 6 and 7 participated. They were diagnosed with autism spectrum disabilities. The treatment condition consisted of total…

A handheld computer observation system was developed using Hewlett-Packard HP71B computers for recording and IBM-PCs for storing and analyzing data. Algorithims used in observing interactions between handicapped children and peers or teachers are described. Also described are behavior definitions, observer training and observation procedures, the…

Described are features and functions of the Behavioral Observation System--Computerized (BOSCO), which was developed for TRS-80 laptop computers to integrate data collection and analysis functions and allow continuous recording of behavioral data during observation sessions. Applications are illustrated through brief descriptions of several…

The Multiple Option Observation System for Experimental Studies (MOOSES) is a flexible data collection and analysis package for applied behavioral research that addresses the needs of researchers interested in live coding of observational data. MOOSES allows the researcher to design a coding system for a particular research question. General types…

Using portable microcomputers, three applications programs were developed and implemented to collect, store, transmit, and analyze teacher/student observational data. The three applications involved: analyzing teaching behaviors of trainees in field-site placements, using microcomputers to educate mildly handicapped high-school students, and using…

Three methods used in applied behavioral analysis research and appropriate for conducting a functional assessment of problem behavior in persons with mental retardation are described. They are informant assessment (e.g., behavioral interviews, rating scales, and questionnaires), direct observation assessment, and experimental analysis. (Author/DB)

This social psychological laboratory activity permits the systematic observation of spontaneous human behavior as simulated on television and provides one way to effectively demonstrate and compare time sampling, event sampling, and trait rating techniques. The preparation involves videotaping a popular television show that depicts observable…