To report group contingency data, lock the group and individual exposure periods, define eligible opportunities, and show the programmed criterion, actual attainment, and outcome delivery. Report member participation, opt-outs, withdrawal, inaccessible or invalid events, partner fidelity, and peer social effects without unnecessary identification. Group success can hide excluded members, while individual percentages can hide whether the shared outcome was delivered as promised.
Define how to report group contingency data
State the group, dates, sessions, arrangement type, criterion, outcome, and responsible staff. For each session, record members present and eligible, individual opportunities, aggregate result, criterion met or missed, outcome delivered or missed, and reason for any variance.
Use aligned denominators
Group attainment is sessions meeting the group rule divided by eligible group sessions. Individual response uses that member's eligible opportunities. Delivery fidelity is outcomes delivered as due divided by outcomes due. Peer-effect measures use their own defined events and observation windows.
Protect identity while preserving accountability
Use the minimum display needed for the audience and decision. A public board may show group progress while restricted records retain individual clinical evidence. In small groups, labels can still reveal a person, so privacy and setting review remain necessary.
Use professional sources in scope
The BACB outline covers measurement, group contingencies, integrity, and evaluation. The Ethics Code addresses confidentiality, documentation, client involvement, and risk. The conceptual paper supports tracking collateral social effects.
A practical example
A five-member workshop has eight eligible sessions. The group meets its aggregate rule in 6/8, and the shared outcome is delivered in 5/6 due sessions. Four members participate in all eight; one opts out after three. Peer-pressure checks identify two events. The report keeps each denominator separate.
Questions families can use
Who was exposed? Which sessions were eligible? Did the group meet the rule? Was the outcome delivered? Are opt-outs and access failures visible? Which public display protects privacy? Are peer effects measured?
Sources
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board, BCBA Test Content Outline, 6th edition
- Krispin and colleagues, Interpersonal and Group Contingencies
- Using a Group Stimulus Preference Assessment to Design an Effective Group Contingency
- An Application of the Group-Oriented Concurrent-Chains Arrangement
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Finni resources
