guidelines for graphing data erin e. barton. rationale visual inspection of graphed data is the...
DESCRIPTION
Rationale Graphical displays of single-case data are very well-suited for online monitoring of the participant’s progress, by altering them every time new data become available, and for communicating results. Patterns are easily and quickly identified Makes raw data transparent with minimal transformationTRANSCRIPT
Guidelines for Graphing Data
Erin E. Barton
Rationale
• Visual inspection of graphed data is the primary means by which data analysis occurs in SCR
• Graphs assist in communicating information quickly and without extensive transformation
Rationale
• Graphical displays of single-case data are very well-suited for online monitoring of the participant’s progress, by altering them every time new data become available, and for communicating results.
• Patterns are easily and quickly identified• Makes raw data transparent with minimal
transformation
Rationale
• Requires little training in mathematics and statistics – Simplicity often (but not always) is desirable
• Allows easy communication with others • Guards against accepting small effects
(theoretically)
Components• Origin• Abscissa—x axis• Abscissa label—almost always a time unit• Ordinate—y axis• Ordinate label—the value of the dependent measure• Scale break• Condition label—should be descriptive • Condition change lines• Phase change lines• Datum point, data points, data series, data path
Graphing Guidelines
1. Fair2. Objective3. Clear4. Without deception
Graphing Guidelines
1.Well-designed presentation 2.Complex ideas communicated with clarity,
precision, and efficiency3.More ideas in less time 4.Usually multiple variables displayed5.Extreme clarity: the truth about the data
(Tufte, 2001)
JABA Graphing Guidelines
1. Data points must be constructed of thin lines and be of sufficient size so that reduction will neither obscure their differentiation nor fill in such symbols as unfilled circles, triangles, and squares.
2. “Percentage of” should be used instead of “Percent of” when labeling the ordinate axis (“percent of” is grammatically incorrect).
JABA Graphing Guidelines
3. Avoid heavy lines for axes4. Provide scale marks along both axes at
sufficiently frequent intervals to permit x and y values of data points to be read accurately.
5.Be sure that axes meet at a right angle and that labels parallel their axes.
6.Align scale marks with labels and data points.
JABA Graphing Guidelines
7. Legends identify the data points within the figure.
8. Identify data paths with arrows and labels when possible.
9. Use text boxes only when space is not available for arrows and labels.
10.It is best to use all capital letters, but do not hesitate to use upper and lower cases when needed to fit in the area available.
Baseline Intervention Baseline Intervention
Components
Sessions
Verb
al T
arge
ts
Time Series: Abscissa or x-axis
Target Behaviors: Ordinate or y-axis Conditions
Condition change
lines
Baseline Intervention Baseline Intervention
Components
Sessions
Verb
al T
arge
ts
Time Series: Abscissa or x-axis
Target Behaviors: Ordinate or y-axis Conditions
Condition change
lines
Baseline Intervention
Participant 1
Participant 2
Participant 3Time Series: Abscissa or x-axis
Target Behaviors: Ordinate or y-axis
Conditions
Condition change
lines
Soci
al In
tera
ction
s
Days
0
2
4
6
8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 200123456702468
101214
Baseline Intervention
Participant 1
Participant 2
Participant 3Soci
al In
tera
ction
s
Days
0
2
4
6
8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 200123456702468
101214
Baseline Intervention
Participant 1
Participant 2
Participant 3Soci
al In
tera
ction
s
Days
-1
3
7
11
15
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20-113579
11131502468
101214
Baseline Intervention
Participant 1
Participant 2
Participant 3
ORDINATES MUST BE THE SAME
Soci
al In
tera
ction
s
Days
020406080
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 200
50
1000
20
40
60
80
100
Baseline Intervention
Participant 1
Participant 2
Participant 3
Pret
end
Play
Days
-1
3
7
11
15
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20-113579
11131502468
101214
Baseline Intervention
Participant 1
Participant 2
Participant 3Pret
end
Play
Days
ORDINATE SCALE SHOULD BE APPROPRIATE
(Kennedy, 1989)
0102030405060708090
100
Spo
ken
Wor
ds
Sessions
Baseline Intervention Baseline Intervention
02468
101214161820
Spo
ken
Wor
ds
Sessions
Baseline Intervention Baseline Intervention
ORDINATE SCALE SHOULD BE APPROPRIATE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 2102468
101214161820
Spoken Words Challenging Behavior
Freq
uenc
y of
Chi
ld B
ehav
iors
Sessions
Baseline Intervention Baseline Intervention
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 2102468
101214161820
Spoken Words Challenging Behavior
Sessions
Baseline Intervention Baseline Intervention
USE DISTINCT, CLEAR MARKERS
Freq
uenc
y of
Chi
ld B
ehav
iors
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1202468
101214161820
Peer Prompts Visuals
Days
Freq
uenc
y of
Soc
ial I
nter
actio
ns
Creating Alternating Treatment Design Graphs
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1202468
101214161820
Peer Prompts Visuals
Days
Freq
uenc
y of
Soc
ial I
nter
actio
ns
The default will be to have gaps….
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1202468
101214161820
Peer Prompts Visuals
Days
Freq
uenc
y of
Soc
ial I
nter
actio
ns
….or to plot the days without data as zero.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1202468
101214161820
Peer Prompts Visuals
Days
Freq
uenc
y of
Soc
ial I
nter
actio
ns
Resulting Alternating Treatment Design Graphs
Practice
ABABBaseline 1: B1: (0, 0, 0, 0, 0) B2: (10, 13, 15, 10, 11)Intervention 1: B1: (4, 7, 2, 8, 10, 12) B2: (1, 3, 5, 1, 1, 0)Baseline 2: B1: (4, 1, 2, 3, 0) B2: (5, 13, 10, 9, 15)Intervention 1: B1: (8, 6, 9, 10, 12) B2: (0, 1, 0, 1, 1)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Target Behavior Challenging Behavior
Freq
uenc
y
Sessions
Baseline Intervention Baseline Intervention
Review
• Ensure all components are clearly identified
• Ordinates must be the same • Scales should be appropriate• Use distinct markers• Separate conditions
References Barton, E. E. & Reichow, B. (2012). Guidelines for graphing data with Microsoft PowerPoint for Office 2007. Journal of Early Intervention, 34, 129-150.
Dixon, M. R., Jackson, J. W., Small, S. L., Horner-King, M. J., Mui Ker Lik, N., Garcia, Y., & Rosales, R. (2007). Creating single-subject design graphs in Microsoft Excel. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 42, 277-293.
Wolery, M., Dunlap, G., & Ledford, J. R. (2011). Single-case experimental methods: Suggestions for reporting. Journal of Early Intervention, 33, 103-109.