Deck 11: Evaluation of the Single Case in Clinical Work

Question 1

When setting treatment goals it is important to:

A) Take into account the initial assessment, as well as allow for flexibility and change later in treatment.
B) Stick to the original treatment goals in order to give the patient a sense of stability about treatment.
C) Take into account the goals of the research project and the information you are looking to find.
D) Wait a few sessions to ensure that the correct goals are being set and meet the patient's needs.

Answer 1

Take into account the initial assessment, as well as allow for flexibility and change later in treatment.

Question 2

Drawing valid conclusions about performance with the single-case can be improved by:

A) Tracking past performance rules out history and maturation as a cause for change
B) Showing that performance during or after therapy departs from what would be predicted from extrapolations of past pretherapy) performance
C) Seeing a change after therapy
D) Both a and b

Answer 2

Both a and b

Question 3

All of the following are features of a true single-case experiment except:

A) performance assessment over time and under different conditions
B) control of the intervention
C) the inclusion of a placebo group
D) stable patterns to make and test predictions about performance

Answer 3

the inclusion of a placebo group

Question 4

What is the benefit to assessment on multiple occasions?

A) Reduces threats to internal validity by determining if point of change is simultaneous with treatment.
B) Reduces threat to external validity by determining if point of change is simultaneous with treatment.
C) Allows researcher to include multiple variables in the experimental design.
D) It is easier to graph data and put treatment outcomes into quantifiable form.

Question 5

One of the most important aspects in setting up ongoing continuous assessments in treatment is:

A) To ensure that the measures chosen cover every aspect, characteristic and variable you wish to examine.
B) To plan the assessments at a convenient time in therapy so as not to conflict with the patient's schedule.
C) To present evaluation to the client as an important and central part of treatment.
D) To ensure that the client is not aware that they are being assessed when assessment measures are given.

Question 6

Systematic evaluation of therapy with the individual case has often been seen as:

A) Unnecessary because therapeutic change is fairly obvious when it occurs
B) As only pertinent to research rather than to practice
C) Something that interferes with treatment and the therapy process
D) All of the above

Question 7

Which type of case study is most desirable for determining therapy as the cause for change?

A) Assessments at pre and post treatment
B) Multiple assessments that monitor marked change
C) Assessments at pre and post treatment with stability information
D) Multiple cases, continued assessment, and stability information

Question 8

In a case with repeated assessment and marked change what further information is specifically needed to rule out history and maturation as external factors causing change?

A) Information about the stability of the problem.
B) Information concerning the patient's support system.
C) Information about what kind of testing instruments were used
D) Information about the frequency of assessments made.

Question 9

Collecting systematic data on the case:

A) Allows one to rule out threats to internal validity
B) Permits one to evaluate construct validity
C) Permits the investigator/clinician to tell whether change has occurred
D) Allows one to evaluate the data to draw inferences about what caused change

Question 10

If the most appropriate measure for the type of data you wish to collect has not yet been validated the best course of action is to:

A) Use the measure that most closely mirrors the ideal measure
B) Use anecdotal information to collect what you need.
C) Use the measure anyway, systematically collecting data using a measure is part of the process of validation.
D) Do not include this information in your research design if an ideal validated measure is not available

Question 11

Before therapy begins it is best to have how many assessment occasions if continuous assessment is to be used?

A) At least three assessments or more are ideal prior to treatment.
B) It is impossible to have assessments prior to therapy.
C) One assessment is sufficient and does not waste valuable therapy time.
D) Two assessments are necessary in order to rule out threats to internal validity.

Question 12

One way to counter act the way assessment may ignore client individuality is to:

A) Let the client pick the measures he or she would like to complete.
B) Have the clinician decide with the client which domains of functioning are most relevant and choose assessment devices that reflect these domains.
C) Not use measures for all of the clients so that at least some may be better able to express their individuality
D) Not use standardized measures at all and create new measures for each client based on his or her specific needs

Question 13

Which of the following will improve the quality of inferences made about treatment?

A) therapist observations on patient progress
B) obtaining systematic data and assessment on several occasions
C) detailed records of the patients' in session self-reported weekly progress
D) systematic patient assessment before the beginning of therapy

Question 14

All of the following are methodological issues in clinical work except:

A) Determining whether measures that were designed for one or two uses will hold up under the multiple assessments required for clinical work.
B) The lack of developed data evaluation methods for clinical use.
C) The need for new validated measures designed for ongoing assessment
D) A complete lack of the ability to quantify data and use statistical analysis

Question 15

What type of effect best signifies treatment as the cause of change?

A) Gradual changes over time
B) Immediate and marked change
C) A small immediate change that becomes increasingly larger
D) Marked change that occurs about halfway through treatment