SINGLE-SUBJECT RESEARCH

Naurah Nazhifah
Table of contents
01 Introduction to Single-subject Research

02 Research Design

03 Procedure

04 Journal Analysis
Single-subject Research
1. Size limited to one or a small group

2. Participants are both control and treatment group

3. Repeat measures are taken with + without treatment

4. Dv is plotted on Y axis and time is on X axis

5. Best used with specific measurable behaviors

6. The baseline should be stable before intervention

7. Allows for flexibility in changing treatments

Single-subject Research
Single-subject designs, or single-case designs, are research designs that use the results from a
single participant or subject to establish the existence of cause-and-effect relationships.
Although single-subject studies are experimental, it focuses on a single individual and allows
a detailed description of the observations and experiences related to that unique individual.
The single-subject approach typically involves a series of observations made over time.
Usually, a set of observations made before treatment is contrasted with a set of observations
made during or after treatment. In the terminology of single-subject research, the critical
factor is the stability of the data.
Single-subject Research
The results of a single-subject design do not provide researchers with a set of scores from a
group of subjects that can be used to compute means and variances and conduct traditional
tests for statistical significance. Instead, the presentation and interpretation of results from a
single-subject research are based on visual inspection of a simple graph of the data.

Because the results of a single-subject

study do not involve any traditional
statistical methods, researchers must rely
on the visual inspection of a graph to
convey the meaning of their results.
 Single-subject Research

A phase is a series of observations made under the same conditions. In the terminology of
single-subject research, observations made in the absence of treatment are called baseline
observations, and a series of baseline observations is called a baseline phase (A). Similarly,
observations made during treatment are called treatment observations, and a series of
treatment observations is called a treatment phase (B). The purpose of a phase within a
single-subject experiment is to establish a clear picture of the participant’s behavior under the
specific conditions that define the phase.
Before doing the treatment
1. Reliability through multiple measurements

2. Stability in measurements (less than 5% variability)

3. Opportunity for contrasting the data

Research Design
The A-B-B1-A-BC-C design.

This letter sequence indicates that the researcher first made a series of baseline observations, and
then implemented a treatment (B) while continuing to make observations. Next, the researcher
tried a modification of the treatment (perhaps treatment B was not effective), followed by
withdrawal of all treatment (back to baseline). Then, the original treatment (B) was administered
in combination with a new treatment (C), and finally, treatment C was administered by itself.
 Phase [Level]
One way to define a pattern within a phase is in terms of the level
of behavior. The term level simply refers to the magnitude of the
participant’s responses. If all of the observations within a phase
indicate approximately the same magnitude, or level, of behavior,
then the data have demonstrated a consistent or stable level of
behavior within the phase.
Phase [Trend]
An alternative way to define a pattern within a phase is in
terms of a trend. The term trend refers to a consistent
increase (or a consistent decrease) in the magnitude of
behavior across the series of observations that make up
the phase.
Dealing with unstable data
1. wait and keep making observations

2. average a set of two (or more) observations

3. look for patterns within the inconsistency

Phase Change
The purpose of a phase change is to demonstrate that adding a treatment (or removing a
treatment) produces a noticeable change in behavior. This goal is accomplished when the data
show a clear difference between the pattern that exists before the phase change and the pattern
that exists after the phase change. The decision to make a phase change is based on the
participant’s responses. If the responses establish a clear pattern, then a change is appropriate. If
the responses indicate a serious problem, then a change is necessary. In either case, the step-by-
step progress of the experiment is controlled by the participant and does not necessarily follow a
predetermined plan developed by the researcher
Visual Inspection Technique
Change in average level. Although statistical
means and variances are typically not computed
for single-subject data, the average level of
behavior during a phase provides a simple and
understandable description of the behavior
within the phase.
Visual Inspection Technique
The immediate change in level. Another
indicator of a difference between phases is the
initial response of the participant to the change.
This involves comparing the last data point in
one phase with the first data point in the
following phase.
Visual Inspection
Technique
Change in trend. When the trend observed in
one phase is noticeably different from the trend
in the previous phase, it is a clear indication of a
difference between phases.
Visual Inspection
Technique
Latency of change. The most convincing
evidence for a difference between phases occurs
when the data show a large, immediate change
in pattern. A delay between the time the phase is
changed and the time behavior begins to change
undermines the credibility of a cause-and-effect
explanation.
 Research Design: The ABAB design

As the letters indicate, the ABAB design consists of four phases: a baseline phase (A), followed by
treatment (B), then a return to baseline (A), and finally a repetition of the treatment phase (B). The
goal of the ABAB design is to demonstrate that the treatment causes a change in behavior by showing
that:
1. The pattern of behavior in each treatment phase is clearly different from the pattern in each baseline
phase. This demonstration is necessary to establish a relationship between the treatment and the
behavior.
2. The changes in behavior from baseline to treatment and from treatment to baseline are the same for
each of the phase-change points in the experiment. This demonstration is necessary to establish a
causal relationship between treatment and behavior.
 The ABAB
design
The first phase change (baseline to treatment)
shows a clear change in the pattern of behavior.
The second phase change (treatment to baseline)
shows the participant’s behavior returning to the
same level observed during the initial baseline
phase. The final phase change (baseline back to
treatment) shows the same treatment effect that was
observed in the initial phase change.
 The ABAB design
The graph shows results from an ABAB study in which the treatment clearly is
not effective.
The limitation of ABAB design
The credibility of this causal interpretation depends in large part on the reversal (return to baseline)
that is a component of the design. Therefore, the ABAB design is not appropriate for evaluating
treatments that are expected to have a permanent or long-lasting effect. Another concern is
withdrawing treatment in the middle of the experiment can create some practical and ethical problems
that can limit the application and success of this specific design.
Variations on the ABAB design
 Multiple-baseline design
The multiple-baseline design provides an alternative technique that eliminates the need for a return to
baseline and therefore is particularly well suited for evaluating treatments with long-lasting or
permanent effects. A multiple-baseline design requires only one phase change—from baseline to
treatment—and establishes the credibility of the treatment effect by replicating the phase change for a
second participant or for a second behavior.

The key to this design is that the different behaviors are independent (one does not influence another)
and can be treated separately by focusing a treatment on one behavior at a time.
 Multiple-baseline design

After a baseline pattern is established for both

participants, the treatment phase is initiated for
one participant only. Meanwhile, the baseline
phase is continued for the second participant.
Finally, the treatment phase is initiated for the
second participant, but at a different time from
that at which treatment is begun for the first
participant.