Small-N Designs in Research

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Questions and Answers

What is the goal of a stable baseline design in behavioral research?

To assess behavior changes during the intervention period
To observe behavior for an extended period before treatment begins (correct)
To apply multiple interventions simultaneously
To immediately implement treatment and observe outcomes

Which of the following designs involves the staggered introduction of an intervention across different individuals?

Stable baseline design
Reversal design
Multiple-baseline design (correct)
Single-N study

In a reversal design, what is observed when the treatment is withdrawn?

Negative side effects of removing treatment become evident
Behavioral changes are irrelevant to treatment effectiveness
Behavior remains constant regardless of treatment changes
Improvements in behavior should cease if the treatment was effective (correct)

What ethical consideration may arise with the use of reversal designs?

It may be unethical to withdraw effective treatment from a patient (B)

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What does internal validity in behavioral research primarily refer to?

The extent to which the study accurately reflects causal relationships (C)

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What characterizes a small-N design?

Data is gathered from only one participant or animal. (B)

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Which is a primary disadvantage of small-N designs?

Data from individual participants is not representative of a larger population. (B)

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Small-N designs are often used in which type of settings?

Therapeutic settings. (A)

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What method can enhance internal validity when using case studies?

Triangulation to compare results across different methods. (B)

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During small-N studies, how is data typically presented?

Individual progress over time. (B)

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Why might large-N designs offer advantages over small-N designs?

They enable more accurate estimates of group averages. (C)

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What limitation is associated with studying special medical cases in small-N designs?

Unique characteristics may not apply to the general population. (D)

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In which context are small-N designs particularly powerful?

Behavioral analysis. (D)

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Flashcards

Stable Baseline Design

A research design where an intervention (treatment) is introduced after a stable baseline period of observation, allowing researchers to determine if the intervention causes a change in behavior.

Multiple-Baseline Design

A research design where an intervention is introduced at different times for different individuals, situations, or behaviors, controlling for any other potential explanations for change.

Reversal Design

A research design where an intervention is applied and then removed (reversal) to see if the behavior returns to the baseline level, confirming the causal relationship between the intervention and behavior change.

Internal Validity

The strength of a study's design to demonstrate that the intervention truly caused the observed changes, not other factors.

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Ethical Concerns with Reversal Designs

The ethical consideration of whether it is appropriate to remove an effective treatment, even temporarily, to observe the return of the behavior.

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Small-N Design

A research design that involves gathering data from only one or a few individuals, focusing on each participant's unique responses to different conditions.

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Large-N Design

A research design that involves collecting data from a large group of participants, analyzing their responses collectively, and drawing conclusions about the group as a whole.

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Repeated Measures Design

In a small-N design, each individual acts as their own control, meaning their behavior or performance is compared across different conditions or treatment periods.

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Triangulation

Using multiple research methods to investigate the same phenomenon, providing a more comprehensive understanding. This helps to address limitations of any single method.

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Practical Applications of Small-N Designs

Small-N designs are valuable in applied settings, like education, clinical therapy, and work environments, where practitioners can evaluate the effectiveness of their interventions for individual clients or students.

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Behavior Analysis

A field of psychology that focuses on the analysis of behavior, often using small-N designs to study the effectiveness of behavioral interventions.

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Study Notes

Small-N Designs

Study where researchers collect data from only one person or animal.
Often uses repeated-measures designs, observing how individuals react to different conditions.
Useful in therapeutic settings to see if treatments work for individuals.
Large-N designs use group averages, while small-N designs look at individual data.

Data Collection

Data from each participant is important and studied individually.
Large samples allow more precise estimations of averages, focusing on the group.
Small-N designs are for both basic and applied research.

Balancing Priorities

Carefully designed case studies reveal critical information when used correctly.
Studying rare cases, like those with brain damage, are valuable but might not be generalizable.

Internal Validity

For specific medical cases, factors other than the targeted treatment may affect results.
Extreme cases may not represent the broader population's experiences.
Triangulating findings (looking at many studies together) and ensuring accurate testing methods is key for determining if a treatment is effective.

Power of the Small-N Design

Useful for educational, clinical, and workplace settings to determine effectiveness of interventions.
Behavior analysis techniques like reinforcement methods are used.