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Consider an idea you may have to research using single case design. Select one of the (4) types of experimental questions from Kennedy and construct an experimental question.

Identify which type of question you selected (2 points).
Provide a measurable dependent variable (5 points).
Provide an independent variable that is behavior analytic in nature (5 points).
Identify how you will quantify your dependent variable? In other words, will you use count, rate, duration, latency, etc.? (5 points).
Determine possible IOA formula for your study (3 points).

 

 

Sample Solution

esearch Idea using Single-Case Design

Question type: Comparison (Kennedy, 2005)

Experimental Question: Does providing immediate verbal praise contingent on engaging in targeted social behaviors (independent variable) increase the frequency of those social behaviors (dependent variable) in a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to a baseline condition with no immediate praise (control condition)?

Dependent Variable: Frequency of targeted social behaviors, measured as the number of instances of the following behaviors exhibited within a pre-determined observation period (e.g., initiating eye contact, smiling, sharing toys).

Independent Variable: Immediate verbal praise delivered contingent on the targeted social behaviors, operationalized as a brief but enthusiastic verbal statement (e.g., “Great job making eye contact!”, “Wow, sharing is awesome!”) within 5 seconds of the behavior occurring.

Quantification of Dependent Variable: Count. The number of instances of the targeted social behaviors will be counted during each observation period under both conditions (baseline and intervention).

Possible IOA formula: Percent of non-overlapping data (PND):

  • Calculate the percentage of data points in the intervention phase that fall above the highest data point in the baseline phase.
  • Calculate the percentage of data points in the baseline phase that fall below the lowest data point in the intervention phase.
  • Add these two percentages and subtract 100 to get the PND score.

This PND score provides a measure of the percentage of data that does not overlap between the two conditions, indicating the strength of the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.

Rationale:

This research idea addresses a common challenge in managing individuals with ASD, who often require specific interventions to promote social engagement. The use of single-case design allows for a flexible and individualized approach to examine the effectiveness of the intervention (immediate verbal praise) for a specific participant, while the chosen measures offer clear and objective ways to quantify the results.

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