Interval Recording

Interval recording, also known as time sampling, refers to an assortment of methods used during direct observational measurement to record the occurrence of events during intervals within a designated time period. [Page 722]All methods of interval recording entail selecting an observation period of predetermined duration and dividing the period into intervals of time. The observer then records the presence or absence of an event in accordance with the conventions of the specific interval recording procedure. Although applied in a number of fields, interval recording is most commonly associated with psychology, special education, applied behavior analysis, and other fields involving the quantification of events or behaviors. The resulting data frequently appear in single-subject designs; however, they may also be used in more conventional experimental arrangements. Despite ...