When is a single case design appropriate?
Single-case designs are usually appropriate where the case represents a critical case (it meets all the necessary conditions for testing a theory), where it is an extreme or unique case, where it is a revelatory case, or where the research is exploratory (Yin 1994, pp. 38-40).
Why are treatment centers becoming more unethical?
Increased opportunity for profits and competition has resulted in a growth of unethical treatment practices and behavior in the recovery industry. Being aware of these challenges is crucial for individuals and families looking for help, especially around treatment centers.
What are the different types of single case research designs?
Single-Case Designs 1 Consultation in Action. Single-case designs are synonymous with ABA research but should also be integrated with routine clinical practice. 2 Research and Methods. ... 3 Assertion Training. ... 4 Experimental Design. ... 5 Good Behavior Game. ... 6 Case study research
When are single-case studies useful experimental designs?
When rigorously designed, single-case studies can be particularly useful experimental designs in a variety of situations, such as when research resources are limited, studied conditions have low incidences, or when examining effects of novel or expensive interventions. Readers will be directed to ex …
Which is a disadvantage in using single case designs?
The individual serves as their own "control". What are advantages and disadvantages to a single case design? Disadvantages: The individual serves as their own control so it is difficult to conclude that treatment alone resulted in differences as other factors change over time.
What is the biggest challenge in single case design?
Replications. The major limitation of single case designs is that since they are limited to a single participant it is difficult to generalize the findings. The best way to strengthen the external validity is to replicate the ABA design with multiple participants.
What are some of the limitations of the single subject design quantitative approach )?
A limitation of single-subject designs is the difficulty of generalizing their results to other subjects, because of the small number of subjects that are investigated. To enhance generalizability, researchers replicate across subjects, either within studies, such as in a multiple-baseline design, or across studies.
What are single case designs and when are the most useful?
When rigorously designed, single-case studies can be particularly useful experimental designs in a variety of situations, even when researcher resources are limited, studied conditions have low incidences, or when examining effects of novel or expensive interventions.
What is a common critique of using a single case study?
Single case study analysis has, however, been subject to a number of criticisms, the most common of which concern the inter-related issues of methodological rigour, researcher subjectivity, and external validity.
When would you use a single case study?
If the researcher only wants to study one single thing (for example a person from a specific group) or a single group (for example a group of people), a single case study is the best choice (Yin, 2003).
Why single research design is not suitable in all research studies?
Single research design is not suitable for all studies since it only involves evaluation & assessment of individual cases (oftenly behavior). Thus, they are only ideal in the fields of psychology and education.
What is a concern with external validity for single subject research?
And again turning the tables, single-subject researchers have concerns of their own about the external validity of group research. One extremely important point they make is that studying large groups of participants does not entirely solve the problem of generalizing to other individuals.
Under what condition would a within-subjects design not be appropriate?
If the researcher is interested in treatment effects under minimum practice, the within-subjects design is inappropriate because subjects are providing data for two of the three treatments (more generally, k - 1 of k treatments) under more than minimum practice.
What is an example of single case experimental design?
In single-case experimental designs a case is the unit of intervention and analysis (e.g., a child, a school). Because measurement within each case is conducted before and after manipulation of the independent variable, the case typically serves as its own control.
What are the advantages of using single-case designs?
Single cases allow researchers to investigate phenomena in-depth to provide rich description and understanding. A single case may also be used as a pilot study for a research project in which several cases are required, especially where the study is of an exploratory nature.
What is the purpose of single-subject designs?
The essence of single-subject design is using repeated measurements to really understand an individual's variability, so that we can use our understanding of that variability to determine what the effects of our treatment are.
What are the ethical principles of medical care?
The British Medical Association's Medical Ethics Committee recently published a consultation paper asking for people's views on all aspects of withdrawing or withholding life-prolonging medical treatment. The Christian Medical Fellowship's response included the following ten-point guide to underlying principles: 1 Intentional killing is always unnecessary and wrong 2 Life has a natural end and there is not necessarily anyone to blame when a patient dies 3 Doctors tend to over-treat towards the end of life, causing demand for euthanasia 4 Society needs to break its current taboo about facing death 5 Considering the Christian faith is essential for a healthy exploration of the concept of death 6 When accepting that cure is either not possible or not sought by the patient, care continues 7 The most senior clinicians should be central figures in these ethical decisions 8 Many of the difficult decisions are more 'clinical' than 'ethical' 9 Medicine is a biological science with uncertain outcomes but research must improve its evidence base 10 Principles for guidance which define ethical boundaries are more helpful than prescriptive guidelines
Why would a doctor withhold treatment?
Sometimes a doctor may wish to withhold treatment because although the patient thinks he or she is ill, the doctor doesn't agree and believes that any treatment could be harmful. On occasions, friends or family of a patient may ask for treatment out of misunderstanding or fear.
What happens if a treatment doesn't work?
while it is uncertain whether the treatment will help, give it a try and be prepared to stop if it doesn't work . it is harming more than helping. the patient refuses treatment.
What is the basis of Christian treatment decisions?
Respecting people. Christians base treatment decisions on the fundamental principle of respect for the sanctity of human life. This is not altered if a person is very old or very young, physically able or has severe disabilities.
What is advance refusal?
A person can write an 'advance directive' or 'advance refusal', which informs doctors and relatives about their likely opinion about treatment. These documents can be referred to if the person is no longer conscious.
What to do when you are sick?
When people are ill they tend to go to a doctor, nurse or another health-care professional to ask for some form of treatment. The problem may be a sore throat, in which case the person may be hoping for a prescription for antibiotics. The issue may be more serious and the person wants to be referred to a hospital specialist.
What does the phrase "double effect" mean?
The phrase 'double effect' is unfortunate in that it suggests that two things were intended, both the reduction of pain and the death. It is often clearer to talk about the intention of a treatment. In the above case the intention is to make the person more comfortable.
What is the result of Edgington design?
The results of Edgington designs permit a causal interpretation if the subjects cannot discriminate the different experimental conditions, i.e. if a true single-blind study is performed. The performance of a double-blind study, where the experimenter cannot discriminate the conditions either, is even better. 4.
How effective is assertion training?
Here, baseline levels of performance of an individual are compared with performance levels of that individual during intervention. Research suggests that assertion training can be effective with a number of different types of clients in pursuit of a number of different outcomes . Programs focused on altering cognitions believed to be related to ineffective social behavior have sometimes been found to be as effective as those focused on altering overt behavior, suggesting an equivalence of effect across cognitive methods and assertion training. There are some indications that a combination of methods is most effective. However, some studies that purport to show that cognitive methods are as effective as social skills training in enhancing social skills do not include individual assessment of specific entry level skills and do not design individually tailored programs based on this assessment. This lack may underestimate the potential value of assertion training. A number of studies show that instructions alone (without modeling) are not sufficient to develop appropriate social behaviors with some clients labeled “schizophrenic.”
What is the purpose of case study research?
In discussing the use of case study research to develop theory , Eisenhardt (1989) suggests that as only a limited number of cases can usually be studied, the selection of cases involving extreme situations and polar types is useful where theory is emergent and the goal of the research is further refinement of theory.
What is SCD research?
SCD research is a robust experimental method, providing potential solutions to problems with recruitment, limited funding for research, ethical issues of withholding intervention, individualizing of interventions and understanding of individual intervention responses.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of single case design?
A striking advantage of single case designs is that they can be used to evaluate treatments for individuals with very specifically defined characteristics. These characteristics do not need to be shared with large numbers of other patients or clients for the experiments to be valid. The applicability of the specific interventions studied to broader populations of clients will, of course, depend on the similarity of such clients to the subjects studied. An important disadvantage of single case designs is that they are only applicable in conditions in which return of the target complaints can be reliably demonstrated once the treatment has been removed. If a treatment results (or is hypothesized to result) in a change in personality or in the orientation of an individual to himself or others, then the repeated administration and withdrawal of treatment that is the hallmark of single case designs will not provide useful information. A further disadvantage is that the comparisons are all internally generated and generalization is accomplished only through assessment of multiple cases with similar individual characteristics and treatment.
What is single case design?
Single-case designs are synonymous with ABA research but should also be integrated with routine clinical practice . Performing as a scientist–practitioner demands that we evaluate the effects of our practices with the most control and rigor as possible. Single-case designs meet this standard, are adaptable to many consultation projects, and provide a solid empirical base for the recommendations made to consultees.
Is it a contraindicated to stop applying a seemingly effective intervention plan?
It is not easy asking consultees to stop applying a seemingly effective intervention plan in order to conduct a reversal evaluation. Further, such evaluation is contraindicated when the goal of intervention is to eliminate self-harming, aggressive, destructive, and similar high-risk behaviors.
Clinical Decisions
Giving Treatment
When to Withhold
- Treatments often carry risks, and a doctor needs to weigh up the balance between the potential for doing good and the potential for harm. People who are refused anti-biotics when they have a sore throat often feel let down, but the doctor has been weighing up the small chance of the drugs making any difference, against the very real risk that over-use of antibiotics can lead to resistan…
Respecting People
- Christians base treatment decisions on the fundamental principle of respect for the sanctity of human life. This is not altered if a person is very old or very young, physically able or has severe disabilities. For example, a recent discussion document from the British Medical Association says that the association 'finds unacceptable' the practice whereby people with conditions like Down'…
Best Interest
- One common guide is to look for the patient's 'best interest'. This can help when treating young children, or adults who are not fully conscious. In the past, best interest was almost always seen as prolonging life. However, a more complex assessment is needed now that medical technology can keep a person's body alive, perhaps inappropriately. Most people accept that there is no abs…
Double Effect
- Some doctors and lawyers argue that a treatment has a double effect. Pain-killing drugs given to cancer patients relieve suffering, but on occasions they also accelerate their death. This so-called 'double effect' is seen as being acceptable as the intention was not to kill the patient, but to reduce his pain. The phrase 'double effect' is unfortun...
Laws and Guidelines
- The legal profession is increasingly being asked to give rulings about medical practice. While it is good that medical practice should be legally sound, there are dangers in having to get every difficult decision backed by a court ruling. To start with, in many cases the time taken to get a court decision would be too long and cause more harm than good. At the same time, doctors ar…