If you can't read please download the document
Upload
jason-fitzgerald
View
272
Download
8
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Single- subject designs Single- subject designs, or single- case designs, are research designs that use the results from a single participant or subject to establish the existence of cause- and- effect relationships.
Citation preview
Single- Subject Research Designs
Chapter 14 Single- subject designs
Single- subject designs, or single- case designs, are research
designs that use the results from a single participant or subject
to establish the existence of cause- and- effect relationships.
Evaluating the Results from a Single- Subject Study
a single- subject design does not provide researchers with a set of
scores from a group of subjects Instead, the presentation and
interpretation of results from a single- subject experiment are
based on visual inspection of a simple graph of the data. Example
Limitation The results as presented do not represent a true
experiment because there is no control over extraneous variables.
Phases and phase changes
A phase is a series of observations of the same individual under
the same conditions. When no treatment is being administered, the
observations are called baseline observations. 3 types of baseline
Stable level Stable trend Unstable data Dealing With Unstable
Data
The researcher can simply wait; occasionally, a participant reacts
unpredictably to the novelty of being observed. Dealing With
Unstable Data
2. Consider the average of a set of two ( or more) observations.
Dealing With Unstable Data
3. look for patterns within the inconsistency. For example, a
researcher examining disruptive classroom behavior may find that a
student exhibits very high levels of disruption on some days and
very low levels on other days. days she has a swimming lesson
Length of a Phase To establish a pattern ( level or trend) within a
phase and to determine the stability of the data within a phase, a
phase must consist of a minimum of three observations. When to
Change Phases When the data in a baseline phase show a trend
indicating improvement in the clients behavior, a researcher should
not intervene by introducing a treatment phase. Another possibility
is that the baseline data indicate a seriously high level of
dangerous or threatening behavior. In this case, a researcher
probably should not wait for the full set of five or six
observations necessary to establish a clear pattern. When to stop
treatment If a treatment appears to produce an immediate and severe
deterioration in behavior, we should stop the treatment Visual
Inspection Techniques
Unfortunately, there are no absolute, objective standards for
determining how much of a change in pattern is sufficient to
provide a convincing demonstration of a treatment effect. The most
convincing results occur when the change in pattern is immediate
and large. 4 types of change Change in average level Immediate
change in level
Change in trend Latency of change. 1- Change in average level 2-
Immediate change in level
Comparing the last point in one phase with the first point in the
following phase 2- immediate change in level 3- Change in trend 4-
Latency in change 4- Latency in change The problem with single
subject design THE ABAB REVERSAL DESIGN
the majority of single- subject research studies use ABAB design;
consists of four phases: a baseline phase ( A), followed by
treatment ( B), then a return to baseline ( A), and finally a
repetition of the treatment phase ( B). Effective Not Effective
Limitations of the ABAB Design
The clinician has implemented a treatment that has corrected a
problem behavior, and when the treatment is removed, the correction
continues. A second problem with an ABAB design concerns the
ethical question of withdrawing a successful treatment. Variations
on the ABAB Design 1- B not working use C 2- B not working add C B=
Graduated exposure C= Reinforcement 3- MULTIPLE- BASELINE
DESIGNS
1- Eliminates the need for a return to baseline and therefore, 2-
Is particularly well suited for evaluating treatments with long-
lasting or permanent effects. 3- MULTIPLE- BASELINE DESIGNS
Examples A therapist uses the same method for 2 differentbehaviors
(across behaviors) For one behavior that is exhibited in 2
different situations. (across situations) A teacher uses the same
method on 2 different students (across subjects) Person1 Person2 2
different students Yelling Crying 2 different behaviors School Home
2 different situations. Weaknesses of the Multiple- Baseline
Design? Weaknesses of the Multiple- Baseline Design
The risk is that a treatment applied to one behavior may generalize
and produce changes in the second behavior. (Treating stuttering
may help treating aggressive behavior) In a multiple- baseline
study across behaviors, one behavior may show a large and immediate
change, but the second behavior may show only a minor or gradual
change when the treatment is introduced. The same problem can occur
with research involving different participants with similar
behavior problems. 4- Dismantling design A dismantling design, also
called a component- analysis design, consists of a series of phases
in which each phase adds or subtracts one component of a complex
treatment to determine how each component contributes to the
overall treatment effectiveness. Example 5- The Changing- Criterion
Design
The criterion level is changed from one phase to the next. Smoking
Treatment 6-The Alternating- Treatments Design
In an alternating- treatments design, also called a discrete-trials
design, two ( or more) treatment conditions are randomly alternated
from one observation to the next. Example 1- Alternate weeks
Example 2- 9 cases for each method GENERAL STRENGTHS OF SINGLE-
SUBJECT DESIGNS
Is conducted with only one participant or occasionally a very small
group. Tends to be much more flexible than a traditional group
study. Single- subject designs require continuous assessment.
General Weaknesses Of Single- Subject Designs
Participants behavior may be affected not only by the treatment
conditions but also by the assessment procedures. Another concern
for single- subject designs is the absence of statistical
controls.