Observer training revisited: a comparison of in vivo and video instruction.

The team wanted to know if watching videos can teach undergraduates to score behavior as well as watching live. They used an ABAB reversal design. Each student rotated through both training styles while scoring the same child behaviors.

No diagnoses were reported for the child being observed. The only goal was to see how fast and how well the undergraduates learned to record what they saw.

Both groups ended with the same test scores. The video group got there in fewer sessions. In other words, video training saved time without hurting quality.

Marroquin et al. (2014) extends the idea to parents. Mothers of autistic teens watched short clips and then ran compliance training correctly. Their kids started complying, showing the same time-saving benefit outside the lab.

Matey et al. (2019) used the same reversal design but added a twist. When undergraduates had to give feedback right after watching, their data got worse. Griffith et al. (2012) kept the job simple: watch and score. The clean task may explain why their video group stayed accurate.

Siegel et al. (1986) showed that pigeons also learn faster by watching. The pattern across species hints that observational learning is a basic, robust process.

You can replace some live observer training with short videos and still get reliable data. This frees up supervisor time and lets staff review clips at their own pace. Try starting new RBTs with a five-minute scoring video before you bring them into the classroom. Check their counts, give brief feedback, and move on.