Charting glossary

Note: This glossary represents an initial attempt at putting together a glossary for the celeration.org web site. No claim is made that the information is complete or absolutely correct. Nor is any representation made that the definitions are official or officially sanctioned and approved by the Standard Celeration Society. If you believe that a definition should be worded differently, please post your suggestion to the Standard Charting listserv. Iif you want to add words and their definitions, also please post your suggested additions to the Standard Charting listserv.

Compiled by John W. Eshleman, Ed.D. and donated to the celeration.org web site.

Accuracy Pair -- Also known as a "fair pair." An accuracy pair is formed between two identical movement cycles, each producing a different effect, such as correct responses and error responses on the same task.

Accuracy Ratio -- The ratio formed between frequency correct and frequency incorrect of a particular accuracy pair, or "fair pair." On a standard chart, the ratio equals the vertical distance between the two frequencies. Its value can be measured using a frequency finder.

Add-Subtract Scale -- Any scale on which adding or subtracting by a constant amount is represented by a constant distance. The horizontal, or X-axis, of the daily Standard Celeration Chart has an add-subtract scale of Successive Calendar Days.

Behavior Floor -- The lowest daily frequency possible for a particular behavior; 1/number of minutes the behavior can occur. Generally, the behavior floor is lower than the record floor.

Behavior of Interest -- A behavior that has been behaviorally defined so that when it occurs it can be reliably counted.

Celeration -- The unit of measurement of behavior change; a change in frequency per unit of time; 3 dimensions: number per unit of time per unit of time. A common representative example is count per minute per week.

Celeration Line -- A best-fit, straight line drawn through a set of frequency points on a Standard Celeration Chart.

Counting Period Floor -- The lowest frequency detectable by a given counting procedure; 1/number of minutes spent counting. Also known as a Record Floor.

Cycle (standard chart) -- The vertical range or distance on the y-axis of a Standard Celeration Chart between consecutive powers of 10. The Standard Celeration Chart has 6 cycles: .001 - .01, .01 - .1, .1 - 1, 1 - 10, 10 - 100, 100 - 1000 per minute.

Daily Behavior Chart -- A Standard Celeration Chart with frequency ranging from .001 per minute up to 1000 per minute on a multiply-divide scale along the y-axis, and Successive Calendar Days on an add-subtract scale along the x-axis; the most commonly used, and "typical" Standard Celeration Chart.

Day Line -- A vertical or "up and down" line on the daily Standard Celeration Chart. The daily chart has 140 day lines.

Event-Following Celeration Line -- A celeration line drawn through all of the frequencies within a particular phase of observation or experimentation. For instance, this can be a celeration line drawn through the baseline phase of an experiment.

Frequency -- The number of movements or events per unit of time; the standard unit of behavior measurement. In the physical sciences frequency is expressed in cycles per second. In addition, frequency may be judged as 'correct' or as 'incorrect' by a particular verbal community.

Frequency Line -- A horizontal line running across the Standard Celeration Chart. Each cycle has 10 parallel frequency lines, which get closer and closer together as one moves up a cycle.

Frequency Multiplier -- The value by which one frequency gets multiplied by to obtain a second frequency; the ratio of two frequencies. A frequency divider would mean the same thing, except the operation involves division.

Geometric Mean -- The appropriate measure of central tendency on a multiply-divide scale. On the Standard Celeration Chart you derive a geometric mean by multiplying N number of frequencies and then taking the Nth root of that.

Jump -- An abrupt increase or decrease in frequency. On a chart, a jump equal to a pencil width has a value of about x2 or /2, depending on the direction of the jump.

Ignored Day -- A day where the behavior of interest occurs, but is not counted, recorded, or charted.

Learning Picture -- A behavior change picture formed on a standard celeration chart where an accuracy pair is charted over time, resulting in two celerations that covary independent of each other.

Minimum Celeration Line -- A mathematically computed celeration line between a baseline frequency and a target frequency aim on particular day at some point in the future. The further out into the future, the lower the slope will become. The higher the aim rate, the higher the slope will become. A minimum celeration line may be used for decision making purposes.

Most-Recent Celeration Line -- A celeration line drawn through the last 7 to 10 frequency points on a Standard Celeration Chart, for a given movement cycle.

Movement -- A pinpointed and recorded behavior; an action performed by an organism.

Movement Cycle -- A movement or event that has a start time, a duration time, and a stop time.

Multiply-Divide Scale -- Any measurement scale on which multiplying or dividing by a constant amount is represented by a constant distance. The vertical, or Y-axis, of the Standard Celeration Chart has a multiply-divide scale of Count per Minute. We typically depict frequency on a multiply-divide scale in order to cover a range that add-subtract scales cannot handle conveniently. This scale is also known as an Equal Ratio Scale.

No Chance Day -- A day on which the behavior of interest could not occur and thus could not be recorded or charted. On a chart, a no chance day line is left blank, and no two adjacent lines having recorded frequency dots are connected with a line running through the no-chance day.

Overall Celeration Line -- A celeration line drawn through all of the frequency points on a Standard Celeration Chart, regardless of trends, phase-change events, or regular periods of time.

Periodic Celeration Line -- A celeration line drawn through al of the frequency points on a Standard Celeration Chart within a specific time period, regardless of trends or phase change events. On a daily Chart, the time period is often biweekly or monthly.

Rate -- A less scientific term for frequency. (Most dictionary definitions of rate have to do with something other than count per unit of time; conversely, most dictionary definitions of frequency do pertain to the "oftenness" of an event or movement. Frequency represents the word of choice in the natural sciences for measurement of any count per unit of time.) See Frequency.

Reference Celeration -- The celeration to which a second celeration gets compared. The basic standard reference celerations on the Chart are X16, X4, X2, X1.4, X1.1, and X1.0, where X means "times."

Standard Celeration Chart -- A standard, six-cycle, "semi-logarithmic" chart that measures frequency as count per unit of time up the multiply-divide y-axis, and that measures celeration as count per unit of time per unit of time. This Chart has standard celeration reference lines such that a line drawn from the bottom left corner to the upper right corner is 33 degrees and has a celeration value of X2 ("times two"). Also known as a Standard Behavior Chart.

Successive Calendar Days -- The real-time, real-calendar add-subtract scale along the x-axis of the Daily Behavior Chart.

Trend-Following Celeration Line -- A celeration line drawn through visible trends on a Standard Celeration Chart for a given movement cycle, regardless of event phases or time periods.

Turn -- A change to the celeration slope, generally following a phase change or intervention. On the chart, the slope can turn upward, not turn, or turn downward.

This Glossary has been adapted from several sources, including:

Pennypacker, H.S., Koenig, C.H., & Lindsley, O.R. (1972). Handbook of the standard behavior chart. Kansas City, KS: Precision Media.

Standard Celeration Society. (1997). Standard Glossary and Charting Conventions. Journal of Precision Teaching and Celeration, 14, 55-57.

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