Quantifying tics: Best practices and design considerations for video-based tic coding in research

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Behavior Research Methods

Volume

56

DOI

10.3758/s13428-024-02383-7

First Page

4073

Last Page

4084

Abstract

Tic disorders (TD), including Tourette Syndrome, are characterized by involuntary, repetitive movements and/or vocalizations that can lead to persistent disability and impairment across the lifespan. Existing research demonstrates that video-based behavioral coding (VBBC) methods can be used to reliably quantify tics, enabling a more objective approach to tic measurement above and beyond standardly used TD questionnaires. VBBC is becoming more popular given the ease and ubiquity of obtaining patient videos. However, rigor and reproducibility of this work has been limited by undescribed and unstandardized approaches to using VBBC methods in TD research. The current paper describes “best practices” for VBBC in TD research, which have been tested and refined in our research over the past 15+ years, including considerations for data acquisition, coding implementation, interrater reliability demonstration, and methods reporting. We also address ethical considerations for researchers using this method.

Funding Number

R61 MH123754

Funding Sponsor

National Institutes of Health

Keywords

Behavioral coding, Quantification, Tic disorder, Tics, Tourette Syndrome, Video

Department

Psychology

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