Chapter 2 - Research Methods Flashcards
Single-subject designs
studies requiring only one or a few participants to conduct an entire experiment
Case studies vs. SS designs
case studies describe, SS designs manipulate
Advantages of single-subject designs
we don’t lose information due to averaging, more efficient and specific to individuals
Disadvantages of single-subject designs
we lose external validity and generalizability
Baseline
the normal frequency of a behavior that occurs before intervention
A-phase
baseline period
B-phase
treatment or experimental period
True or False: no statistics are used in SS designs
True !
Simple comparison design (AB)
comparing behavior in a baseline condition to behavior in a treatment condition
What is the disadvantage to a simple comparison design?
poor internal validity
Reversal design (ABA/ABAB)
involves repeated alternations between a baseline period and a treatment period
Limitations of a reversal design
cannot be used when intervention causes permanent changes or when it would be unethical to remove an effective intervention
Multiple baseline design
a treatment / intervention is instituted at successive points in time for two or more persons, settings, or behaviors
Multiple baselines across persons
measuring behavior across 2 + people
Multiple baselines across settings
measuring behavior of one person in 3 different settings
Multiple baselines across behaviors
measure more than one target behavior
Benefits of multiple baseline design
appropriate where treatment may cause long-term change and where removal is unethical
Limits of multiple baseline design
more complex design, when used on same person effects may generalize across settings / behavior
Changing criterion design
effect of a treatment is demonstrated by how closely the behavior matches a criterion that is systematically altered (gradually change over time)
Operational definition
turning a concept of interest into a measured or manipulated variable
A good operational definition will be (3)
objective, clear, and complete
What are the three measures of time?
duration, speed, latency
Duration
want to increase or decrease the length of time a behavior occurs
Speed
want to increase or decrease the time to complete a task (clear beginning and end)
Latency
want to increase or decrease time to begin a task
What are the two measures of frequency?
rate of response, and number of errors
Rate of response
number of responses (behaviors) in a given period
Number of errors
count of incorrect responses within a given period / task
What are the two measures of proportion?
interval recording and time-sample recording
What is the purpose of measures of proportion?
to assess proportion of measured time where a behavior occurs, used when impractical or inefficient to record all instances of behavior
Interval recording
intervals are consecutive
Time-sample recording
intervals are non-consecutive
Variable
a characteristic of a person, place, or thing that can change over time from one situation to another
Functional relationship
the relationship between changes in an IV and changes in a DV
Stimulus
something in the environment with the potential to influence behavior
Appetitive stimuli
an event that an organism will seek out
Aversive stimuli
an event an organism will avoid
Motivating operations
any procedure that affects appetitiveness or aversiveness of an event
Establishing operation
increases appetitiveness of an event
Deprivation
prolonged absence of an event to increase appetitiveness
Abolishing operation
decreases appetitiveness of an event
Satiation
prolonged exposure of an event to decrease appetitiveness
Response
behavior, usually the DV, can be internal or external
Overt behavior
has the potential to be directly observed by others
Covert Behavior
can be perceived only by the person performing behavior
