Abstract
The purpose of this article is to outline the development of the Multiple Option Observation System for Experimental Studies (MOOSES), a flexible data collection package for applied behavioral research. Several data collection options are available to users of MOOSES. Event-based recording, interaction-based recording, duration recording, and interval recording are available to the users and can be used individually or together, depending upon the research question. The collection program can incorporate any of the keys on the keyboard. Function keys on the top or side are used for toggle (duration states) type data collection. Types of analysis include frequency and duration of discrete events, frequency of general behavior states, frequency and duration of events within behavioral states, percent interval analysis, sequential analysis, and interobserver agreement. Data obtained from MOOSES is easily incorporated with other data for further statistical analysis with standard statistical packages or popular spreadsheet programs. Applications of MOOSES and its uses in social interaction research are presented. Comparisons with other similar systems are provided.
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Preparation of this article was supported in part by National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development Grant HD15052. Without the help of the following people, the development of many ideas in MOOSES would not have been possible: Michelle Creighton, David Fiel, Susan Jack, William MacLean, Mary McEvoy, Judy Neiymier, Samuel Odom, and Richard Shores.
Note: The author has a direct financial interest in some of the software described in this paper.—Editor
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Tapp, J., Wehby, J. & Ellis, D. A multiple option observation system for experimental studies: MOOSES. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers 27, 25–31 (1995). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03203616
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03203616