Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2013
Capstone Advisor
Brian Martens, Ph.D.
Honors Reader
Tanya Eckert, Ph.D.
Capstone Major
Psychology
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Social Sciences
Subject Categories
Child Psychology | Psychology
Abstract
Data collected from descriptive assessments of children’s behavior and caregiver responses can be summarized according to matching theory, which states that relative rates of responding match relative rates of reinforcement. The extent to which matching applies to descriptive assessment data can be evaluated by application of the generalized matching equation (GME). However, three limitations exist in previous applications of the GME: (a) the most appropriate method of aggregating the data is unclear, (b) consequences must be manipulated in order to determine reinforcement, and (c) individual differences in sensitivity can influence the results. This Capstone project addressed those three issues by comparing the results of a descriptive assessment and an experimental analysis for two children. The results showed that aggregating data into 2.5 min bins prior to applying the GME provided the closest approximation to matching under experimental conditions. Furthermore, the descriptive data were more variable than the experimental data. Lastly, the results of this study support use of the GME to detect individual differences in matching.
Recommended Citation
Robinson, Mary-Jo, "Methods for Aggregating Descriptive Assessment Data Prior to Conducting a Matching Analysis" (2013). Honors Capstone Projects - All. 53.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/53
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