Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) Practice Test

Which measure would likely be the most appropriate for quantifying instances of crying in a client?

1. Latency

2. Duration

3. Frequency

4. Intensity

The correct answer is: Duration

The most appropriate measure for quantifying instances of crying in a client is duration. This is because duration captures how long the crying episodes last, which is crucial for understanding the severity of the behavior and its impact on the client and environment. When measuring behaviors like crying, it’s often more informative to know how long the behavior occurs as opposed to simply counting the number of times it happens. Duration provides insight into the emotional state of the client and the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing the length of episodes. By focusing on duration, behavior analysts can assess whether strategies are successful in decreasing the length of time the client engages in crying, which might be more helpful for treatment planning rather than merely counting the instances. While frequency measures how many times crying occurs in a given timeframe, this does not provide the complete picture of the behavior's impact. Latency, which considers the time until the behavior starts, and intensity, which assesses the force or severity of crying, also do not capture the main concern regarding how long the episodes persist, making duration the most relevant choice in this context.