Question 1

Each of the following terms are ways of referring to within-subject designs, except:

Accepted Answer

While all other answer choices refer to within-subject designs, N=2 designs typically involve only two participants who are each exposed to all levels of the independent variable. While this could technically be considered a within-subject design, it is not the typical use of the term.

Question 2

With regards to typical notations of within-subject designs, the A in an ABAB design stands for which condition?

Accepted Answer

The A in an ABAB design stands for the baseline condition. In this design, the researcher first establishes a baseline measurement of the behavior, then introduces a treatment (B), removes the treatment to return to baseline (A), reintroduces the treatment (B), and then removes the treatment again to return to baseline (A).

Question 3

With regards to typical notations of within-subject designs, the B in an ABAB design stands for which condition?

Accepted Answer

The B in an ABAB design stands for "Baseline," which is the phase where no intervention is applied, serving as a control to observe natural variations in the behavior or condition being studied.

Question 4

With regards to typical notations of within-subject designs, the C in an ABCAB design stands for which condition?

Accepted Answer

In an ABCAB design, the "C" typically stands for a second treatment or intervention condition, different from the first treatment (denoted as "B"). This design allows for the comparison of two different treatments or conditions within the same subjects.

Question 5

Of all the single baseline designs, the ____ design is the weakest for making conclusions about the effects of an independent variable.

Accepted Answer

The AB design only has one phase of baseline and one phase of treatment, which makes it difficult to determine whether any changes observed can be attributed to the independent variable. The reversal design (A-B-A) and changing criterion design allow for multiple phases of baseline and treatment, while the multielement design includes multiple conditions to compare. Therefore, the AB design is the weakest for making conclusions about the effects of an independent variable.

Question 6

A(n) ______ is the core of all within subject comparisons.

Accepted Answer

AB design involves measuring a behavior in a baseline condition (A) and in a treatment condition (B). This design is considered the core of all within-subject comparisons as it allows for the comparison of the behavior's frequency, intensity, or duration in two different conditions. In this design, the order of the conditions is typically counterbalanced to control for order effects. The other options (reversal design, parametric, and multi-element) are also commonly used within-subject designs but do not necessarily form the core of all within-subject comparisons.

Question 7

An AB design is a weak basis for defensible conclusions about the influence of the intervention condition because:

Accepted Answer

An AB design lacks the ability to demonstrate a functional relationship because it does not include a return to baseline or other conditions to verify that changes in behavior are reliably due to the intervention.

Question 8

A practitioner wants to demonstrate if reinforcing appropriate statements would reduce a client's disruptive talking (found to be maintained by attention). To evaluate empirically, it would be best to use which type of design?

Accepted Answer

A reversal design (ABAB) is most suitable for demonstrating the effect of reinforcing appropriate statements on reducing disruptive talking. This design involves an initial baseline phase (A), an intervention phase where the reinforcement is applied (B), a return to baseline by removing the intervention (A), and a final phase where the intervention is reintroduced (B). This allows for clear observation of whether changes in the target behavior (disruptive talking) are directly related to the introduction and removal of the reinforcement strategy.

Question 9

Reversal designs are informative only when:

Accepted Answer

Reversal designs are used to demonstrate cause-and-effect relationships between a specific intervention and changes in behavior. To be informative, the pattern of responding must revert to the original baseline level when the intervention is withdrawn. This demonstrates that the change in behavior was a direct result of the intervention and not due to other factors. The other answer choices, such as reliability of responding or limited learning histories, may also be important considerations but are not specific to the validity of a reversal design.

Question 10

If an investigator wanted to compare the effects of different treatments for a single behavior of a single individual, they would most likely use a(n) ______ design, which involves switching between two or more treatment conditions rapidly.

Accepted Answer

A multi-element design would allow the investigator to compare the effects of different treatments for a single behavior of a single individual by rapidly switching between two or more treatment conditions. The other designs mentioned (AB, reversal, changing criterion) do not involve comparing multiple treatments in this way.

Question 11

Multi-element designs are also referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Alternating treatment designs, also known as multi-element designs, involve comparing the effects of two or more experimental conditions by alternating them rapidly within the same study phase. This allows for the direct comparison of different treatments or interventions.

Question 12

Generally, a(n) ______ research design requires a gradual increase in goal levels for the target behavior.

Accepted Answer

A changing criterion research design involves gradually increasing the goal levels for the target behavior. This is done in order to ensure that the behavior is being reinforced and strengthened over time, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. A multi-element design involves comparing different interventions or conditions to determine which is most effective, and an ABA reversal design involves measuring the target behavior before, during, and after an intervention is implemented, with the intervention being removed and then reintroduced to ensure that any changes in the behavior are due to the intervention itself. An AB design involves measuring the target behavior before and after an intervention is implemented, but does not involve any systematic changes to the goal levels.

Question 13

Multi-element designs require that the investigator be confident about two things. First, that the level of responding observed in a brief exposure to each condition is typical of the level found with uninterrupted exposure over a series of sessions. What is the second?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Multi-element designs require that the investigator be...

Question 14

A(n) ______ design is a within-subject, single baseline design that involves a pair of treatment and control conditions in which one or both conditions repeat at least once.

Accepted Answer

The description matches the characteristics of a multiple baseline design, specifically a multiple baseline with a reversal component. The design involves repeating both treatment and control conditions at least once, while measuring the behavior at multiple baselines. The reversal component involves reversing the conditions for some or all of the baselines to further establish experimental control.

Question 15

A(n) ______ research design is a useful design for investigators interested in gradual decreases in goal levels for the target behavior.

Accepted Answer

The changing criterion research design involves setting gradually decreasing goal levels for the target behavior. This design is useful for investigating the effects of small incremental changes on behavior and can be used to assess the extent to which behavior can be shaped or modified over time. The other options (multi-element, ABA reversal, and AB designs) do not involve gradually decreasing goal levels for the target behavior.

Question 16

A within-subject, single-baseline design that uses AB and reversal sequences to identify effects of manipulating a specific parameter of a procedure is called a(n) ______ design.

Accepted Answer

The described design specifically involves manipulating a parameter (or level) of a procedure, making it a parametric design. The use of AB and reversal sequences is common in such designs to isolate the effects of changing the parameter, but these are not specific to parametric designs and can also be used in other types of within-subject designs like AB and reversal. Changing criterion designs, on the other hand, involve gradually changing the criteria for a behavior rather than manipulating a procedural parameter.

Question 17

The following data represent which type of design?

Accepted Answer

The data given in the format suggests that it is a multi-element design. The numbers/letters separated by underscores likely represent different phases of the design, where different variables or interventions were implemented.

Question 18

Controlling for extraneous variables is most important for which type of within-subject design?

Accepted Answer

Controlling for extraneous variables is important for all within-subject designs in order to ensure that any changes observed in the dependent variable are truly due to the independent variable and not to some other confounding variable.

Question 19

A multi-element design requires an investigator to be confident that the transition in responding between control and treatment conditions will be ______.

Accepted Answer

An immediate transition in responding between control and treatment conditions is crucial in a multi-element design to clearly demonstrate the effect of the treatment.

Question 20

Within-subject designs emphasize the fact that each participant serves as his or her own _____.

Accepted Answer

Within-subject designs use the same participants to measure changes or differences between different treatments, conditions, or time points. By doing so, they control for individual differences between participants and increase the sensitivity of the experiment to detect effects. Therefore, each participant serves as his or her own control.

Quiz 12: Single Baseline Designs