Exam 13: Single-Case Evaluation Designs

A practitioner tests whether a new technique will be effective in reducing the number of time-outs required in play therapy sessions for children with conduct disorders. In each of the two sessions before implementing the new technique, five time-outs occurred. In each of the two sessions after implementing the new technique, no time-outs occurred. The practitioner should conclude:​

Which of the following statements is/are true about ambiguities in the visual significance of single-case design outcomes?​

The term research reactivity means that​

A practitioner conducts a single-case evaluation to test whether a recently developed intervention is effective in reducing antisocial behaviors by children in a residential facility. During the 20 days before implementing the new intervention she observes between 15 and 17 antisocial behaviors each day. After implementing the intervention she observes between 15 and 17 antisocial behaviors each day for 19 days, but then on the twentieth day no antisocial behaviors occur. She should conclude:​

Identify three qualitative methods that can be incorporated in single-case evaluation, and discuss the function of each method.​

In single-case experiments, direct observation is always better than using self-report scales or available records.​

Most social work target problems or goals cannot be defined in operational terms.​

Which of the following approaches would be least obtrusive in regard to measuring the impact of the above group work intervention on school performance?​

What would you infer from the following graph?

Explain how B or B+ designs can have value in the evidence-based practice process despite lacking an adequate baseline phase.​

The ability to construct a retrospective baseline is one of the advantages of using available records.​

Discuss why it is best to have as many measurement points as possible in a single-case design.​

A social work student seeks to reduce her own general level of anxiety through self-desensitization. She used the last five weeks of the fall semester for her baseline and the first five weeks of the spring semester for her intervention period. Why is this a problem? What alternative do you propose?​

Explain what is accomplished by replicating single-case designs. One part of your answer should address internal validity; another part should address external validity.​

It is never appropriate to conduct single-case experiments with unstable baselines.​

Suppose you wish to measure progress in increasing the amount of time a child in institutional care spends studying as an indicator of the effectiveness of your group work intervention. Which of the following approaches most likely would be least vulnerable to reactivity problems?​

Identify the major advantages and disadvantages of each of the following single-case designs:?a. AB design?b. ABAB design?c. multiple baseline design​

If the target problem improves at any point during the intervention phase, it is safe to infer that the intervention is effective.​

In single-case experiments, increasing the number of measurement points:​

Although AB designs offer the least control for history, they are often worth doing.​