Trend

In Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), trend refers to the overall direction or pattern of data points in a graph over time. It indicates whether the behavior is increasing, decreasing, or remaining stable across sessions. Identifying trends helps behavior analysts assess the effectiveness of an intervention and make decisions about adjusting or continuing strategies.

Example

A behavior analyst tracks the frequency of a student’s hand-raising behavior during class over several weeks. If the number of hand-raises increases consistently across sessions, this indicates an increasing trend. Conversely, if the behavior decreases, it shows a decreasing trend. If the frequency stays the same across sessions, it indicates a stable trend.

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