Question 1

Which of the following areas of psychology is most likely to employ single-subject research?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following areas of psychology...

Question 2

Marla conducts a study to gradually teach a poodle to jump through a flaming hoop. At each session, Marla introduces a more stringent set of guidelines before reinforcing the poodle. Which one of the following designs would be most appropriate for this study?

Accepted Answer

A changing-criterion design is appropriate for this study because Marla is gradually increasing the criteria for reinforcement as the poodle improves its ability to jump through the hoop. This design is characterized by the systematic and gradual adjustment of a criterion for reinforcement, allowing the study to determine if changes in behavior are the result of the criterion change or some other factor. In this study, Marla can establish a criterion for reinforcement (e.g., the height of the hoop, the distance between the hoop and the dog, etc.) and gradually increase it over time to shape the poodle's behavior.

Question 3

Madge took special classes from Barbie to improve her spelling. Barbie first tested Madge's current spelling ability. Barbie was not sure what teaching method would work best, so she tried 3 different ones: positive practice, positive reinforcement, and correction. She tried a different method during each class, testing Madge's spelling at the end of the day. What design was Barbie using?

Accepted Answer

Barbie was using the Alternating Treatment design, where she alternated between different teaching methods to see which one was the most effective for improving Madge's spelling. At the end of each day, she tested Madge's spelling to see if there was any improvement with each method.

Question 4

Despite the name, in the ______________ single-subject design, more than one person can be tested.

Accepted Answer

The multiple-baseline design can involve more than one individual being tested, despite its name. This design involves baselines being conducted at different times or in different settings for each individual or behavior being studied, and then the effects of the intervention are observed across all baselines.

Question 5

A researcher conducts a study to bring about permanent changes in three different behaviors in a single subject. Which one of the following designs would be most appropriate for this study?

Accepted Answer

The multiple-baseline design is most appropriate for bringing about permanent changes in three different behaviors in a single subject. This design involves establishing baselines for each behavior at different times or in different settings, and then introducing the intervention at different times or in different settings. This allows the researcher to see whether the changes in behavior are due to the intervention or other factors.

Question 6

Mozzoni and Hartnedy 2000) wondered which of three different treatments would be best at helping a brain-injured person to pay attention to therapeutic activities. What would be the best single-subject design for them to use?

Accepted Answer

The alternating treatments design is best suited for comparing the effectiveness of different treatments on a single subject, allowing for direct comparison of the treatments' effects on the individual's ability to pay attention to therapeutic activities.

Question 7

A researcher assesses the effects of two different kinds of punishment on a reversible behavior. Which one of the following designs would be most appropriate for this study?

Accepted Answer

The alternating treatments design would be most appropriate for this study as it allows for a direct comparison between the two types of punishment. In this design, the researcher would randomly assign participants to receive one type of punishment during one phase and the other type of punishment during a separate phase. The order of the phases would be alternated across participants to control for potential order effects. This design allows for a clear comparison of the effects of the two types of punishment on the behavior.

Question 8

Mary was frustrated with her son John. He almost never took out the trash and only cleaned his bathroom about half of the time that it needed it. Mary wanted to see if paying John was an effective treatment, so she started giving him cash every time he took out the trash. He soon became outstanding in this area, taking it out every time that she asked. Since the money worked so well with the trash, she decided to see if it would also help him to clean his room more often. Soon after she started paying him for cleaning his room, that behavior also increased dramatically. What experimental design was Mary using?

Accepted Answer

Mary was implementing a multiple baseline across behaviors design, meaning she implemented the treatment of paying John for one behavior (taking out the trash) first and observed its effects before implementing the treatment for the second behavior (cleaning his room). This allowed her to establish a functional relationship between the treatment and John's behavior.

Question 9

What kind of research lends itself to single-subject experiments? Should researchers use single-subject research whenever it is possible to do so?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What kind of research lends itself to...

Question 10

____________ research often employs single-participant designs

Accepted Answer

Psychophysical research often uses single-participant designs to study the relationship between physical stimuli and perception, focusing on individual responses.

Question 11

When is the changing-criterion design an appropriate design to use? When

Accepted Answer

The answer of When is the changing-criterion design an appropriate...

Question 12

A researcher conducts a study to gradually bring about the desired behavior change for a subject. At each session, the researcher introduces a more stringent set of guidelines to see if behavior changes coincide with the new reinforcement. Which one of the following designs would be most appropriate for this study?

Accepted Answer

The changing-criterion design is the most appropriate because it involves gradually changing the reinforcement contingencies to see if behavior changes accordingly. This design would allow the researcher to systematically manipulate the reinforcement and observe the participant's behavior in response to each change.

Question 13

Consider the following hypothetical experiment: A researcher conducted a study to decrease the frequency with which a college professor used the words "uh" and "you know" during his lectures. The treatment consisted of a small signal at the back of the room which the experimenter flashed each time the professor uttered one of the verbal phrases targeted for extinction. An A-B-A design was used to assess the treatment effect. The results indicated a high baseline frequency of the behaviors, followed by a dramatic decrease in frequency when the treatment was initiated. The behaviors increased again when the treatment was withdrawn. Describe an alternative single-subject design that might be used to demonstrate a treatment effect.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Consider the following hypothetical experiment: A researcher...

Question 14

A new program has been developed to increase students' speed and accuracy in doing simple arithmetic computations. You have been asked to evaluate its effectiveness. One of the first decisions you must make is whether to use a group or single-subject experimental design. What are several questions you might ask the curriculum specialist about the program and about the purpose of the experiment that will help to determine the more appropriate type of experimental design to be used?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A new program has been developed to...

Question 15

Skipper does the laundry 25% of the time and washes dishes about 50% of the time. Barbie decides to start praising Skipper for doing the laundry. After that, Skipper begins to do the laundry about 75% of the time. Since that was successful, Barbie decides to try praising Skipper's dish washing, too. Soon, Skipper is washing the dishes 100% of the time. What experimental design was Barbie using?

Accepted Answer

The experimental design used in this scenario is multiple baseline, as Barbie is implementing the praise intervention at different times for laundry and dish washing tasks. This allows her to observe the effects of the intervention on each behavior separately, without introducing external factors that may influence both behaviors at once.

Question 16

Multiple-baseline designs may be conducted across all of the following variables EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Multiple-baseline designs can be conducted across behaviors, individuals, and settings. However, antecedents are not typically targeted in multiple-baseline designs as the purpose is to assess the effectiveness of an intervention on a particular target behavior.

Question 17

What is the name of the single-subject research design that introduces an independent variable at different times for different behaviors to see if changes in behavior coincide with manipulation of the independent variable?

Accepted Answer

The multiple-baseline design involves introducing an independent variable at different times for different behaviors to see if changes in behavior coincide with manipulation of the independent variable. The changing-criterion design involves gradually altering the criterion for successful performance to see if behavior changes as a result. The interaction design involves examining how multiple independent variables interact to produce a behavior. The multiple-conditions design involves comparing the effects of different conditions on behavior within the same subject.

Question 18

A single-subject research design that manipulates multiple treatments one at a time, to determine their effect is the:

Accepted Answer

The alternating treatments design is the single-subject research design that manipulates multiple treatments one at a time, to determine their effect. This design involves rapidly alternating between two (or more) treatments while measuring the effect on the behavior of the individual. This allows for comparisons to be made between different treatments and for the identification of which treatment is most effective for a particular behavior.

Question 19

Compare and contrast group designs with the single-subject approach. What are the advantages of the single-subject design? Disadvantages?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare and contrast group designs with the...

Question 20

Define and/or describe the term "statistical power".

Accepted Answer

The answer of Define and/or describe the term "statistical power"....

Quiz 12: Single Subject Experiments