How to Choose the Right ABA Recording Method

Key Takeaways

Choosing the right ABA recording method comes down to three questions: What are you measuring? What dimension matters? What’s your treatment goal? For skill acquisition, use Percent Correct for single responses or Task Analysis for multi-step skills. For behaviors, use Frequency if countable, Duration for length, Latency for speed. For high-rate or continuous behaviors, use Partial Interval for reduction goals and Whole Interval for increase goals.

Every clinical decision in Applied Behavior Analysis depends on accurate data. But before you can collect accurate data, you need to choose the right recording method.

This guide covers the seven core recording methods and when to use each one, aligned with Cooper, Heron & Heward’s Applied Behavior Analysis and BACB measurement standards. Whether you’re a BCBA designing a treatment plan, an RBT preparing for a session, or a graduate student studying for the BCBA exam, you’ll learn to make confident decisions about data collection.

Quick Reference

The Seven Core Recording Methods

1. Frequency Recording

What it measures: The number of times a behavior occurs

Best for: Hitting, kicking, requests, elopement attempts, hand raises, greetings

Requirements: The behavior must have a clear beginning and end and happen at a countable rate (not continuous).

Example: During a 30-minute session, you count 8 instances of hand-flapping. Your data point is “8 occurrences” or “0.27 per minute” if calculating rate.

Rate vs. count: Report raw count when session lengths are consistent. Report rate (count ÷ time) when sessions vary in length. For example, 8 occurrences in 30 minutes (0.27/min) is directly comparable to 12 occurrences in 60 minutes (0.20/min). Rate enables accurate visual analysis across variable session durations.

Key distinction from Percent Correct: Frequency counts occurrences in natural environments without defined trials. If you have structured teaching with discrete opportunities, use percent correct instead.

2. Duration Recording

What it measures: How long a behavior lasts

Best for: Tantrums, sustained attention, independent play, time in designated area

Requirements: The behavior must have a clear beginning and end, and length is the relevant dimension.

Example: A student has a tantrum lasting 4 minutes 23 seconds, then another lasting 2 minutes 10 seconds. Total duration: 6 minutes 33 seconds.

Key distinction from Whole Interval: Duration measures exact time. If you need precise measurement, use duration. If estimating sustained behavior through sampling, use whole interval.

3. Latency Recording

What it measures: Time between an instruction and the response

Best for: Following directions, transitions, response to name, compliance

Requirements: There must be a clear antecedent (usually an instruction) and a clear response onset.

Example: You say “Touch nose.” The student responds 3.2 seconds later. That’s your latency data point.

Why it matters: A student responding correctly 100% of the time with 45-second latencies needs different intervention than one responding in 2 seconds. Latency measures fluency.

4. Percent Correct

What it measures: Ratio of correct to incorrect responses during structured teaching

Best for: Discrete Trial Training (DTT), skill acquisition, receptive identification, expressive labeling

Requirements: You must have defined trials with clear correct/incorrect criteria. You need a denominator.

Example: During color identification, you present 10 trials. Student correctly identifies 7 colors. Your data: 70% correct (7/10).

Critical distinction: “Asked for help 5 times” is frequency. “Correctly asked for help in 5 of 8 opportunities” is percent correct. You can’t calculate accuracy without knowing total opportunities.

5. Task Analysis

What it measures: Independence level at each step of a multi-step skill

Best for: Daily living skills (handwashing, teeth brushing), vocational tasks, chained behaviors, any skill taught through forward or backward chaining

Requirements: The skill must have distinct, sequential steps that can be broken down and taught individually.

Example: Teaching handwashing with 8 steps (turn on water, wet hands, apply soap, etc.). For each step, record the prompt level needed: Independent (I), Verbal (V), Gestural (G), Model (M), Partial Physical (PP), or Full Physical (FP).

Prompt hierarchy: Most task analyses use a prompt fading approach. TallyFlex supports customizable prompt hierarchies so you can match your clinical protocol.

Key distinction from Percent Correct: Percent correct tracks accuracy across equivalent trials. Task analysis tracks independence across sequential steps where each step may require different prompt levels.

6. Partial Interval Recording

What it measures: Whether behavior occurred at any point during an interval

Best for: High-frequency behaviors hard to count, such as stereotypy, scripting, off-task behavior, and high-rate SIB

How it works: Divide observation into equal intervals. Mark “yes” if behavior occurred at any point, “no” if it never occurred.

Example: You observe for 5 minutes using 15-second intervals (20 total). Mark “yes” for any interval where hand-flapping occurred. Result: 14/20 intervals = 70%.

CRITICAL WARNING: Partial interval overestimates behavior. A 1-second occurrence scores the same as 15 seconds of behavior.

When to use it: Behaviors you want to decrease. It’s conservative for reduction. If data shows decrease, you’re confident behavior actually decreased.

7. Whole Interval Recording

What it measures: Whether behavior occurred continuously throughout an entire interval

Best for: On-task behavior, sustained engagement, appropriate play, attending to instructor

How it works: Mark “yes” only if behavior occurred for the entire interval. Any gap = “no.”

Example: You observe for 5 minutes using 15-second intervals. Student was on-task the entire 15 seconds in 12 of 20 intervals. Result: 60%.

CRITICAL WARNING: Whole interval underestimates behavior. A student on-task for 14.9 of 15 seconds scores “no.”

When to use it: Behaviors you want to increase. It’s conservative for improvement. If data shows increase, you’re confident behavior actually improved. See our complete whole interval guide for implementation details.

How TallyFlex simplifies interval recording: Traditional interval recording requires manually marking each interval while watching a timer. TallyFlex automates this. For whole interval, you only tap when behavior stops, and the app handles the rest. For partial interval, tap when behavior occurs. See our interval recording documentation for details.

The Decision Framework

Follow this three-question path to choose the right recording method for any behavior or skill.

Question 1: What are you measuring?

Skill acquisition or behavior occurrence?

• Skill acquisition - Structured teaching with defined opportunities → Go to Question 2a
• Behavior occurrence - Natural environment without structured trials → Go to Question 2b

Question 2a: What type of skill?

Single responses or multi-step?

• Single responses (e.g., identifying colors, naming objects, following 1-step directions) → Percent Correct
• Multi-step skills (e.g., handwashing, getting dressed, task completion) → Task Analysis

Question 2b: Can you count each instance?

Is the behavior discrete and countable?

• Yes - Clear beginning and end, occurs at countable rate → Go to Question 3
• No - Continuous or very high-rate → Go to Question 4

Question 3: What dimension matters?

Which aspect is clinically relevant?

• How often it occurs → Frequency
• How long it lasts → Duration
• How quickly they respond → Latency

Question 4: What’s your treatment goal?

Increase or decrease the behavior?

• Decrease (e.g., stereotypy, off-task, SIB) → Partial Interval (overestimates, conservative for reduction)
• Increase (e.g., on-task, engagement, play) → Whole Interval (underestimates, conservative for improvement)

Practical Examples

Example 1: Color Identification Program

Skill: Student learning to receptively identify colors during DTT

Decision path:

• Q1: What are you measuring? → Skill acquisition
• Q2a: Skill type? → Single responses (each trial is one identification)

Answer: Percent Correct. Present 10 trials, record 7 correct. Data: 70% (7/10).

Example 2: Tantrum Behavior

Behavior: Student cries, screams, and throws materials when presented with demands.

Decision path:

• Q1: What are you measuring? → Behavior occurrence
• Q2b: Can you count each instance? → Yes, tantrums have clear starts and stops
• Q3: What dimension matters? → How long (length is more clinically relevant than count)

Answer: Duration. Track how long each tantrum lasts. This measures whether interventions reduce tantrum duration, even if frequency stays the same initially.

Example 3: Vocal Stereotypy

Behavior: Student engages in high-rate scripting throughout the day.

Decision path:

• Q1: What are you measuring? → Behavior occurrence
• Q2b: Can you count each instance? → No, occurs almost continuously
• Q4: Treatment goal? → Decrease

Answer: Partial Interval. Use 15-second intervals. Mark any interval where scripting occurred. You accept overestimation because you’re conservative about improvement.

Example 4: On-Task Behavior

Behavior: Student sitting in seat and working on assigned task.

Decision path:

• Q1: What are you measuring? → Behavior occurrence
• Q2b: Can you count each instance? → No, this is a sustained state behavior
• Q4: Treatment goal? → Increase

Answer: Whole Interval. Use 15-second intervals. Mark “yes” only if student was on-task the entire interval. You accept underestimation because you’re conservative about reporting improvement.

Example 5: Handwashing

Skill: Teaching 8-step handwashing routine (turn on water, wet hands, apply soap, etc.)

Decision path:

• Q1: What are you measuring? → Skill acquisition
• Q2a: Skill type? → Multi-step skill

Answer: Task Analysis. Record prompt level needed for each step: Independent, Verbal, Gestural, Model, Partial Physical, or Full Physical.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

These errors undermine data validity.

1. Using Frequency for Non-Discrete Behaviors

Mistake: Trying to count stereotypy that occurs almost continuously

Solution: Use partial interval recording instead

2. Using Percent Correct Without Trials

Mistake: Recording “80% correct” when you didn’t structure discrete trials

Solution: Either structure trials or track frequency in natural environment

3. Using Wrong Interval Type

Mistake: Using whole interval for behavior you want to decrease

Why it’s wrong: Whole interval underestimates, making reductions look more dramatic than reality

Solution: Use partial interval for behavior reduction

4. Mixing Methods Mid-Program

Mistake: Starting with frequency, switching to partial interval halfway through

Solution: Choose one method and stick with it. You can’t compare across methods.

Implementing Your Choice

Equipment

Traditional: Tally counters, stopwatches, interval timers, paper data sheets

Modern: Apps like TallyFlex combine all methods in one interface with automatic timestamps, offline capability, and real-time collaboration.

Training Your Team

1. Define the behavior operationally. Everyone must measure the same thing.
2. Practice together. Watch videos, collect simultaneously, compare.
3. Calculate IOA regularly. Inter-observer agreement confirms reliability.
4. Review data patterns. Teach interpretation, not just collection.

What’s Next?

• Try the interactive tool: Recording Method Finder walks you through this exact decision framework for your specific behavior
• See it in action: TallyFlex documentation shows screenshots and workflows
• Start collecting better data: See how effortless data collection can be. All seven recording methods in one intuitive interface.

The right recording method is the foundation. The right tool helps your team collect it consistently.