Creating an iPhone application for collecting continuous ABC data.
Your iPhone can replace paper ABC sheets if you follow the app and storage steps in W et al. (2012).
01Research in Context
What this study did
Noordenbos et al. (2012) built an iPhone app that turns classroom video into ABC data. The app stamps every antecedent, behavior, and consequence to the nearest second.
They paired the app with a HIPAA-ready storage plan. Videos live on a locked server with coded file names.
What they found
The paper shows the setup, not new treatment results. You get clean, time-stamped ABC sheets without paper or stopwatches.
How this fits with other research
Morse et al. (1966) did the same trick with punched tape and a mainframe. Their 0.1-s clock fed dozens of rat boxes. W et al. swap the tape for a phone camera, but the goal—every response timed—stays identical.
Sigwanz et al. (2025) push the idea forward. They prove staff can collect similar data live, without video, and still hit high IOA. The 2012 tool is great for later review; the 2025 method works in real time.
Word et al. (1958) built a $15 movement sensor for small animals. Like the iPhone, it turned cheap hardware into a lab-grade recorder. Each study stretches the tech of its day to catch more behavior for less money.
Why it matters
If you have an iPhone, you already own a continuous ABC recorder. Record the session, code it later, and share the file safely. No extra gear, no clipboard errors, and HIPAA rules are baked in.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
While the use of computer-based communication, video recordings, and other "electronic" records is commonplace in clinical service settings and research, management of digital records can become a great burden from both practical and regulatory perspectives. Three types of challenges commonly present themselves: regulatory requirements; storage, transmission, and access; and analysis for clinical and research decision-making. Unfortunately, few practitioners and organizations are well enough informed to set necessary policies and procedures in an effective, comprehensive manner. The three challenges are addressed using a demonstrative example of policies and procedural guidelines from an applied perspective, maintaining the unique emphasis behavior analysts place upon quantitative analysis. Specifically, we provide a brief review of federal requirements relevant to the use of video and electronic records in the USA; non-jargon pragmatic solutions to managing and storing video and electronic records; and last, specific methodologies to facilitate extraction of quantitative information in a cost-effective manner.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2012 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2012.45-643