Exam 9: Single-Case Research Designs

Case studies sometimes provide evidence for the "success" of a particular treatment.People often find reports of these successful treatments highly persuasive.People are persuaded by testimonial evidence primarily because they fail to

The task confronting clinical psychologists can be described as trying to predict "what any one person will do." Actuarial predictions and group norms can be useful,but the clinician's task also illustrates the need for

A clinical psychologist seeks to increase the amount of time a child is able to work on a task.In order to make an interpretation about the effect of treatment using an ABAB design,the least problematic initial baseline period would show

Problems of observer bias can arise in the context of a case study because

The major difficulty with the case study method as a basis for drawing cause-and-effect conclusions is that

Which of the following designs is used when the researcher focuses on the way behavior changes with the systematic introduction and withdrawal of the treatment?

Which of the following characteristics is present in a typical case study?

The problem of generalizing from a single individual arises when the case study method is used.This problem is likely to be most serious when the case has been selected from a population with

A psychologist develops a behavioral treatment to decrease the frequency of a child's temper tantrums.In order to make a causal interpretation about the effectiveness of the treatment using an ABAB design,the most problematic initial baseline period would show

A woman sought treatment for her symptoms of depression and anxiety.The psychologist,after checking his references for the best treatment given her symptoms,began twice-a-week cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy.By the end of eight weeks,she reported that she was much better,and had only occasional symptoms of depression and anxiety,which she considered to be normal.The psychologist wrote a report describing the results of his study,stating that her improvement offers conclusive support for the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy. What type of research did this psychologist conduct?

What do each of the multiple baselines in the multiple-baseline design represent?

Which of the following is not an acceptable approach for addressing the problem of excessive baseline variability in single-case designs?

Identify a methodological problem specific to the ABAB design and a methodological problem specific to the multiple-baseline designs.

The multiple baselines in multiple-baseline designs are usually established across each of the following dimensions except

Researchers are often unable to control extraneous variables when they use the case study method.This poor degree of control makes it difficult to use the case study method to

Which of the following patterns represents an ideal baseline in a single-case experimental design?

The fundamental characteristic of case studies is

Single-case research designs have been criticized because

Suppose the following data were observed for an individual who sought treatment for kleptomania.Using a single-case experiment,the psychologist used "covert sensitization" to treat the stealing behavior across a number of different situations (e.g.,stealing at the grocery store,drug store,discount store).Covert sensitization was applied systematically to each situation.The psychologist concluded that the treatment was very effective for reducing kleptomania. As shown in the following graphs,an initial baseline period was conducted for each of three situations.The session in which covert sensitization was implemented is indicated with each situation (session 3,6,or 9).The dependent variable is the number of shoplifted items. What is your conclusion about the effectiveness of treatment? Explain your answer.

When the effect of an intervention in a single-case design is in the same direction as a baseline trend (either increasing or decreasing),the researcher