Deck 13: Single Case Evaluation Designs

Question 1

Which of the following is an example of unobtrusive observation?

A)Self-monitoring.
B)Self-report scales.
C)Interviews.
D)None of these.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In deciding what to measure in a single-case experiment,it is usually best to

A)pick something implied by how the clinical goal was operationally defined.
B)measure more than one thing.
C)choose a behavior that is more frequent over one that occurs very rarely.
D)all of these.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

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

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In single-case experiments,maximizing the number of measurement points helps by

A)enhancing the identification of precipitating conditions during assessment.
B)enabling us to change the intervention plan at the point at which we see that no progress is occurring.
C)increasing our ability to pinpoint unlikely coincidences and therefore infer what is causing changes in the dependent variable.
D)all of these.

Question 5

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 groupwork intervention.Which of the following approaches most likely would be least vulnerable to reactivity problems?

A)Have the child record the amount of time and report back to you.
B)Have cottage parents run spot checks in the cottage at different intervals.
C)Interview the child each day about the time spent studying the previous day.
D)Show up at the cottage and observe the child yourself for one hour during the same period each day.

Question 6

Target problems can be quantified in terms of their

A)frequency.
B)duration.
C)magnitude.
D)all of these.

Question 7

Suppose you instruct a couple to have a typical conversation while you observe them in your office.This would be an example of

A)unobtrusive observation.
B)research reactivity.
C)obtrusive observation.
D)interval recording.

Question 8

What would you infer from the following graph of the number of temper tantrums in an AB design?
$$\begin{array} { l l l l l l l l l l } \text { Baseline: } 15 & 15 & 14 & 14 & 13 & 13 & 12 & 12 & 11 & 11 \\\text { Intervention: } & 10 & 10 & 9 & 9 & 8 & 8 & 7 & 7 & 6\end{array}$$

A)The intervention appears to be effective.
B)Maturation appears to be the most plausible explanation.
C)History appears to be the most plausible explanation.
D)Regression toward the mean appears to be the most plausible explanation.

Question 9

Suppose you obtained the following results in an ABAB design assessing the effectiveness of family therapy in reducing a child's temper tantrums.Which interpretation(s)is(are)plausible?
$$\begin{array}{l}\text { Number of tantrums per day: }\\\begin{array} { l l l l l l l } \text { A: } & 4 & 5 & 4 & 5 & 4 & 4 \\\text { B: } & 1 & 1 & 1 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\\text { A2: } & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\\text { B2: } & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0\end{array}\end{array}$$

A)History could have caused the change.
B)The intervention may have been effective, but with irreversible effects.
C)History could have caused the change or the intervention may have been effective, but with irreversible effects.
D)none of these.

Question 10

Suppose our research methods cause the client to improve.This would be termed

A)unobtrusive observation.
B)reactivity.
C)social-desirability bias.
D)generalization of effects.

Question 11

Which of the following procedures for dealing with an unstable baseline might be appropriate in some situations?

A)Introduce intervention anyway, recognizing that a stable baseline is not feasible.
B)Delay intervention until the baseline becomes stable.
C)all of these.

Question 12

In a single-case design with a student at high risk for dropping out of school,a good measurement plan to assess whether our intervention is effective would be to monitor whether or not he/she drops out of school.

Question 13

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:

A)The technique clearly was effective.
B)History can be ruled out as an alternative explanation for the improvement.
C)There were a sufficient number of data points in the study.
D)None of these.

Question 14

The length of the baseline in single-case designs should be

A)as long as is practically and ethically possible.
B)longer with a low frequency behavior than with a high frequency behavior.
C)extended until a stable trend appears.
D)all of these.

Question 15

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

A)Obtain grade, attendance, and conduct data from school records.
B)Observe the student's in-class behavior yourself.
C)With the client's permission, obtain videotapes of the child's in-class behavior.
D)Interview the child.

Question 16

Suppose you obtained the following results in a multiple baseline design assessing the impact of family therapy on tantrums,chores,and truancy in treating one child and his parents.Which interpretation(s)is(are)plausible?
Number of tantrums:
$\begin{array} { l l l l l l l l l l l l l } \mathrm { Al } : & 4 & 4 & 4 & \mathrm {~B} 1 : & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \end{array}$
Number of chores performed:
A2: $\begin{array} { l l l l l l l l l l l l } 3 & 0 & 0 & 3 & 3 & \text { B2: } & 3 & 3 & 3 & 3 & 3 & 3 \end{array}$
Number of days truant:
$\begin{array} { l l l l l l l l l l l l } \text { A3: } & 4 & 4 & 4 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & \text { B3: } 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \end{array}$

A)History could have caused the change.
B)The intervention may have had generalizable effects.
C)History could have caused the change or the intervention may have been effective, with generalizable effects.
D)none of these.

Question 17

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

Question 18

Suppose an ABCD design obtains the following results regarding level of social adjustment with a chronically mentally ill client discharged to live with his family.
$$\begin{array} { l l l l l l } \text { A (Baseline): } & 10 & 10 & 10 & 10 & 10 \\\text { B (Social skills training): } & 10 & 10 & 10 & 10 & 10 \\\text { C (Occupational Rehabilitation): } & 10 & 10 & 10 & 10 & 10 \\\text { D (Family education): } & 15 & 20 & 25 & 30 & 35\end{array}$$
What is the most appropriate inference for future interventions with similar clients?

A)Just provide the family education.
B)Provide all three interventions in the same order.
C)Replicate the study to assess possible order effects.
D)none of these.

Question 19

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

Question 20

Sometimes it is appropriate to conduct single-case experiments with unstable baselines.

Question 21

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?

Question 22

Self-monitoring is an example of unobtrusive observation.

Question 23

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

Question 24

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

Question 25

Ideally,baselines should be extended until a stable trend in the data is evident.

Question 26

Explain why it is important to obtain a stable baseline,if possible.Explain your answer in connection to threats to internal validity.

Question 27

Discuss why it can be argued that a single-case AB design,if done appropriately,has greater internal validity than a simple pretest/posttest group design (with no control group).

Question 28

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

Question 29

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

Question 30

If a self-report scale has high reliability and validity in group research,we can assume it will have equally high reliability and validity in single-case experiments.

Question 31

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

Question 32

Multiple measurement points during baseline control for statistical regression.