In momentary time sampling, which statement is true?

• A. It records the occurrence of a behavior at the end of each interval.
• B. It measures the total duration of the behavior across the observation period.
• C. It records the frequency of a behavior across the entire session.
• D. It requires continuous observation throughout the interval.

Answer: (A)

Momentary time sampling assesses behavior by checking whether the target behavior is occurring at the end of each fixed interval. You record yes if the behavior is happening at that exact moment, no if it is not. Across many intervals, the proportion of intervals marked yes estimates the percentage of time the behavior occurs, but it does not provide the total duration or the exact frequency across the entire session. You don’t have to observe the behavior continuously for the whole interval; the record is made at the end moment of each interval. This is why recording at the end of each interval is the correct description. It would not capture total duration (that would be duration recording) or full-session frequency (that would be event/frequency recording), and it isn’t defined by continuous observation during the interval.