Single-Subject Designs
There are two broadly defined
approaches to experimental research
group designs single-subject designs
Both approaches apply the components
of the scientific method to their approach
to research
- the difference between group and
single-subject designs lies in the manner
in which the principles of the scientific
method are put into operation in
designing studies
Single-subject designs are also called:
Time series
functional analysis
within-subject
experimental analysis of behavior
single-case experimental designs
Single-Subject Designs
Use this design to demonstrate a
functional relationship between changes
in the IV and the resultant changes in
the DV
it provides an empirical verification that
behavior change occurred because
intervention occurred and no other
cause
Components of Single-Subject
Designs
Single-subject designs are typically
depicted by using letters A and B
A = the baseline and withdrawal phases
B = treatment phase
there are different single-subject
designs
– some are descriptive
– some are experimental
Descriptive Designs
A = baseline only (diary study)
B = treatment only (case study)
AB = baseline + treatment (case study;
no control)
Experimental Single-Subject Designs
Withdrawal Designs
ABA
BAB
ABAB TREATMENT -
Reversal Designs NO TREATMENT
ABA COMPARISONS
ABAB
Multiple Baseline Designs
MB x Behaviors
MB x Subjects
MB x Settings
Experimental Single-Subject Designs
Interaction Designs
Reduction (A - BC - B - C)
Addition (A - B - C- BC)
– use these designs to look at interactive effects
of individual components of tx
– Component assessment designs
Alternating Treatments Designs
B
A- C - B or C or D
D
– Treatment-Treatment Comparison
Components of Single-Subject
Designs
specify the problem
select the design
measure the problem
repeated measures
baseline
analysis of data
Specify the problem
Identify the behavior that needs to be
changed or treated
the behavior must be specified as
clearly as possible in order for it to be
reliably measured
Select the design
There are a variety of SS designs that are
defined by different phases
– select design on basis of question want to answer
– Withdrawal, Reversal or MB designs answer
question “Is treatment effective?”
– Interaction designs answer question, “What are
the interactive components of treatment?”
– ATD answer question, “Which treatment is more
effective?”
Phases in SS designs consist basically of a
baseline (or no tx phase) and tx phases.
These phases can be combined in different
ways to derive different designs
Measure the problem
After the behavior has been clearly
defined, the clinician decides how the
behavior will be measured,e.g.,
correct/incorrect responses, rate of
response, length of response, etc.
Repeated Measures
The behavior is repeatedly measured
before, during, and after treatment to
determine if any changes have occurred
in that behavior.
– This component is the HALLMARK of
single-subject designs
Baseline
Before treatment is initiated, the
behavior is measured over a period of
time (1-2 weeks, few days)
the BL provides a comparison of
“before” and “after” treatment in order to
evaluate the effectiveness of the
treatment approach
Analysis of data
Single-subject designs rely on visual
analysis of the graphed data rather than
on statistical analysis of the data to
make decisions about the significance
of the treatment approach
– slope, trend, and level of graphed data
Comparison of Single-Subject and
Group Designs
Group designs and SS designs share
similar attitudes and components, but
they use the components differently
– in SS designs, as in all experimental
research, variables are manipulated and
then you measure the effect of the IV on
the DV
– SS designs differ from group designs in
how they demonstrate experimental
control
Comparison of Single-Subject and
Group Designs
Experimental control in SS designs is
demonstrated in 2 ways:
– in SS designs, the SUBJECT serves as
their own control and is administered all
conditions of the experimental condition
and then all conditions are re-measured
• therefore, don’t need a control group to
demonstrate experimental control
– control behavior or control phase
Comparison of Single-Subject and
Group Designs
Group designs demonstrate experimental
control in 3 ways:
– two groups (control group and experimental
group)
– random selection of subjects from a larger
population of subjects
– statistical tests
• help to look beyond the variability found in
examining the individual performances of the
subjects within each group.
• Thus, idiosyncratic behavioral patterns are
ignored by pooling subjects’ data and the
statistic serves as a control for extraneous
variables
Comparison of Single-Subject and
Group Designs
Single-subject designs also differ from
group designs in terms of how
power/significance of the results is
determined
– In SS designs, power/significance is
demonstrated in 2 ways:
• through the replication of tx effectiveness
across AB phases within a subject and/or
replication of tx effectiveness across subjects
• through the trend, slope, and level of the
visually presented data
Comparison of Single-Subject and
Group Designs
In group designs, power is
demonstrated through statistical
significance
Summary Comparison of Group and
Single-Subject Designs: Experimental
Control
Group Designs Single-Subject Designs
Control + Experimental Each subject serves as
Groups OWN control
Random selection of Control behavior or
subjects control phase
Statistical tests
Summary Comparison of Group and
Single-Subject Designs:
Power/Significance
Group Designs Single-Subject
Statistical significance Designs
Replication
– across phases within
subjects
– across subjects
Visual inference of
graphed data
– slope, trend, level
Visual Analysis of Single-Subject
Designs
Group designs determine the
effectiveness/significance at
predetermined probability levels, e.g.,
.05 or .01
Visual Analysis of Single-Subject
Designs
Single-subject designs determine the
effectiveness of the IV generally by
visual examination of the graphed data
– therefore the reader of SS research must
be cautious in interpreting tx effectiveness
from visual inference
3 parameters important to visually
presented data and graphs
– trend
– slope
– level
Trend
The effectiveness of the IV is measured by
comparing the direction of the behavior
before tx and after tx is administered
– 3 directions the behavior may take:
• increase in the occurrence of the behavior
• decrease in the occurrence of the behavior
• no change in occurrence of the behavior
to be believable, the behavior must be
measured a sufficient number of times to
establish that it is not change before tx
(min. of 3x recommended) and there must
be a stable BL
Slope
The degree of slope in the trend will
indicate how strong the trend is.
A pronounced slope is stronger
evidence that the behavior is changing
than if the slope is a gentle one
Level
The level at which the behavior is
occurring before treatment is important
in determining the significance of the
change in the behavior following tx
Criteria for Evaluating Single-
Subject Designs
Determine if:
the data are reliable
the behavior was altered when intervention
was administered (level)
the change observed was significant (slope)
the results are generalizable to other
individuals
the BL was stable (trend)
there was no variability within phases and/or
phases
Advantages of Single-Subject
Designs
Hard to find large N of subjects for group
designs
– don’t need a large N of allegedly
homogeneous subjects with a particular
communication disorder, random selection of
Ss for sample and random assignment to
groups
ethical question to withhold tx for control
group
– SS designs are clinically based - don’t need to
have a group of CD individuals who will not
receive tx in order to have a control group
Advantages of Single-Subject
Designs
Get detailed information on individual
subjects rather than pre-post scores
– you get individual data points across time and
therefore can detect individual differences in
response to tx
easier to control for Ss since each Ss
serves as his/her own control
SS designs are “intervention designs” that
can be used for exploring tx effectiveness
which is a primary issue in CDIS
Advantages of Single-Subject
Designs
SS designs are “practice based” and
“practitioner oriented” in that they are
flexible and changes can be made during
the course of tx if deemed necessary by
the clinician
Researcher-clinician gap is narrowed
environment for conducting SS research
– can easily be incorporated into clinical practice
without disruption
– conducted in clinic during clinic hours and
regularly scheduled tx sessions
Advantages of Single-Subject
Designs
Provide clinicians with a tool for
demonstrating accountability to their
clients, administrators, and funding
sources.
Disadvantage of Single-Subject
Designs
Reluctance to generalize results from
single subjects to groups of individuals
Considerations in Using Single-
Subject Designs
Length of phases
– should be equal (each tx phase)
– however, this is not always possible
– therefore, usually use criterion levels and
maximum number of sessions
Counterbalancing
– whenever more than one behavior is treated
sequentially, there is risk of order effects
– order effects can be controlled in MB studies by
counterbalancing
– this requires a second subject who goes through
study in an opposite training order from 1st Ss
– therefore, more than 1 Ss needed for MB studies
Considerations in Using Single-
Subject Designs
Selecting Behaviors
– 2 behaviors selected for tx in a MB study must be
different (independent) enough that they must not
impact each other
– PRINCIPLE: 2 different behaviors and a single tx
Baseline
– BL measures must be obtained on all DV
responses
– the BL period must be sufficient enough to
determine the stability of the response
– the BL must demonstrate a trend, slope, and level
that is sufficiently different from the DV when the
IV is applied.
