Describe whole-interval recording and one potential bias associated with it.

• A. Records whether the behavior occurred at any time during the interval; tends to overestimate frequency.
• B. Records latency from cue to response.
• C. Records whether the behavior occurred for the entire interval; tends to underestimate frequency.
• D. Records duration of behavior.

Answer: (C)

Whole-interval recording works by dividing observation time into equal intervals and recording the behavior as present only if it occurs during the entire interval. If the behavior starts and stops before the interval ends, it isn’t counted. Because many occurrences don’t last the full interval, this method tends to miss them, yielding fewer recorded instances than actually occurred. The result is a conservative estimate that underestimates the true frequency of the behavior.