Frequency and Rate
Also called: count, rate of responding, frequency count
Definition
Frequency is a simple count of how many times a response occurs. Rate is that count divided by the time observed, which makes sessions of different lengths comparable. Both require a response with a clear beginning and end.
In plain language
Frequency is how many times something happened. Rate is that number divided by how long you watched. Rate lets you compare a short session with a long one.
Examples
A learner raised their hand nine times during a thirty-minute lesson, a rate of 0.3 per minute.
Staff recorded four requests for help across a two-hour session.
Not frequency and rate
Recording how long a tantrum lasted. That is duration, because it measures time rather than how many times something happened.
Counting how often a learner stayed on task, which has no clear separate occurrences to count.
Commonly confused with
See also
Written from
- baer-wolf-risley-1968
Written from standard measurement practice in applied behavior analysis. No textbook glossary consulted.
This entry has not yet been through clinical review. Treat it as a draft.