Differentiate between continuous measurement and discontinuous measurement.

• A. Continuous measures record every instance; discontinuous measures sample at intervals.
• B. Discontinuous measures record every occurrence.
• C. Continuous measures sample behavior at fixed intervals.
• D. Discontinuous measures are never used.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how data collection captures behavior over an observation period. Continuous measurement records every occurrence of the behavior as it happens, so you can compute exact frequency, duration, or intensity for the whole period. Discontinuous measurement, in contrast, uses sampling methods that only capture data at specific moments, intervals, or within predefined windows, which provides an estimate rather than a complete count. This distinction matters: continuous measurement gives precise data for every instance, while discontinuous measurement offers a quicker, less burdensome snapshot that may introduce some bias depending on the sampling method. So the statement that continuous measures record every instance and discontinuous measures sample at intervals is the best description. Some other options would wrongly claim that discontinuous measures capture every occurrence or that continuous measures sample at intervals, which aren’t accurate.