Structured visual analysis of single‐case experimental design data: Developments and technological advancements

Author(s):  
Art Dowdy ◽  
Joshua Jessel ◽  
Valdeep Saini ◽  
Corey Peltier
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Art Dowdy ◽  
Joshua Jessel ◽  
Valdeep Saini ◽  
Corey Peltier

Visual analysis is the primary method used to interpret single-case experimental design (SCED) data in applied behavior analysis. Research shows that agreement between visual analysts can be suboptimal at times. To address the inconsistent interpretations of SCED data, recent structured visual analysis technological advancements have been developed. To assess the extent to which structured visual analysis is used to guide or supplement applied behavior analyst’s interpretation of SCED graphs, a systematic review between the years of 2015 to 2020 in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis was conducted. Findings showed that despite recent efforts to develop structured visual analysis tools and criteria, these methods are rarely used to analyze SCED data. Here, an overview of structured visual analysis tools is shared, their utility is delineated, common characteristics are brought to light, and future directions for both their research and clinical use are highlighted.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joelle E. Fingerhut ◽  
Mariola Moeyaert ◽  
Rumen Manolov

A systematic search of single-case experimental design literature was conducted to determine the quantitative analysis techniques used for single-case experimental design studies and the justifications provided for using such analysis techniques. Preregistration protocols for single-case experimental design studies were also identified. The systematic search for the literature review yielded a total of 585 articles, and 122 unique articles were included after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The justifications identified in the articles were coded into different dimensions and dimension subcategories. Results indicated non-overlap indices to be the most commonly used quantitative analysis technique in single-case experimental design studies. The most popular justifications for using quantitative analysis techniques varied depending on the quantitative technique used. The most popular justification for non-overlap indices was "baseline trend present”, for standardized mean difference it was "correlates with other quantitative analysis techniques and/or reinforces visual analysis or other quantitative analysis techniques", and for regression it was "accounts for the nested data structure". Regarding pre-registration protocols, five protocols were identified, with each protocol recommending different guidelines for pre-registering single-case experimental design data. Overall, results indicate that more details need to be reported when justifying quantitative analysis technique selection and that justifications provided need to be better aligned with the limitations/assumptions of the quantitative analysis techniques.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Da-Wei Zhang ◽  
Stuart J. Johnstone ◽  
Hui Li ◽  
Xiangsheng Li ◽  
Li Sun

The current study used behavioral and electroencephalograph measures to compare the transferability of cognitive training (CT), neurofeedback training (NFT), and CT combined with NFT in children with AD/HD. Following a multiple-baseline single-case experimental design, twelve children were randomized to a training condition. Each child completed a baseline phase, followed by an intervention phase. The intervention phase consisted of 20 sessions of at-home training. Tau-U analysis and standardized visual analysis were adopted to detect effects. CT improved inhibitory function, and NFT showed improved alpha activity and working memory. The combined condition, who was a reduced 'dose' of CT and NFT, did not show any improvements. The three conditions did not alleviate AD/HD symptoms. While CT and NFT may have near transfer effects, considering the lack of improvement in symptoms, this study does not support CT and NFT on their own as a treatment for children with AD/HD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-168
Author(s):  
Jennifer Harley Chalmers

Flexible-delivery marriage education (ME) has many advantages over traditional alternatives in reaching couples during the time of COVID-19 lockdown or other national emergencies. In an effort to add to the research of flexible-delivery ME, this exploratory study evaluated an online class adapted from an empirically-validated, marriage curriculum (Four Gifts of Love Class, [FGL]) under home lockdown conditions lasting over 2 months caused by COVID-19 government restrictions. Using a concurrent multiple-baseline single-case experimental design, three distressed couples residing in the Philippines completed seven online lessons over 7 weeks while experiencing home lockdown. Visual analysis of the data suggested that all three couples responded positively to the intervention. The Tau-U and SMDall analyses for each couple ranged from a small to large effect size on measures of marital adjustment (weighted average Tau-U = .50, p < .05; BC-SMD = 0.34) and romantic love (weighted average Tau-U = .52, p < .01; BC-SMD = 0.31), with increases reaching clinical and statistical significance for one couple out of the three. In addition, there was no attrition. The promising results from this preliminary study suggested that the online adaptation of FGL as a flexible-delivery ME could mitigate marital decline, especially during times of calamity when traditional-delivery ME is unavailable and marital decline is predicted. Further study of this program and other online ME programs are recommended to expand the limited research in this area of flexible-delivery ME.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Da-Wei Zhang ◽  
Stuart J. Johnstone ◽  
Hui Li ◽  
Xiangsheng Luo ◽  
Li Sun

Abstract The current study used behavioural and electroencephalograph measures to compare the transferability of three home-based interventions — cognitive training (CT), neurofeedback training (NFT), and CT combined with NFT — for reducing symptoms in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Following a multiple-baseline single-case experimental design, twelve children were randomised to a training condition. Each child completed a baseline phase, followed by an intervention phase. The intervention phase consisted of 20 sessions of at-home training. Tau-U analysis and standardised visual analysis were adopted to detect effects. Results showed that CT improved inhibitory function and NFT improved alpha EEG activity and working memory. The combined condition, which was a reduced ‘dose’ of CT and NFT, did not show any improvements. The three conditions did not alleviate AD/HD symptoms. While CT and NFT may have transfer effects on executive functions, considering the lack of improvement in symptoms, this study does not support CT and NFT on their own as a treatment for children with AD/HD.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 3397-3412
Author(s):  
Michelle I. Brown ◽  
David Trembath ◽  
Marleen F. Westerveld ◽  
Gail T. Gillon

Purpose This pilot study explored the effectiveness of an early storybook reading (ESR) intervention for parents with babies with hearing loss (HL) for improving (a) parents' book selection skills, (b) parent–child eye contact, and (c) parent–child turn-taking. Advancing research into ESR, this study examined whether the benefits from an ESR intervention reported for babies without HL were also observed in babies with HL. Method Four mother–baby dyads participated in a multiple baseline single-case experimental design across behaviors. Treatment effects for parents' book selection skills, parent–child eye contact, and parent–child turn-taking were examined using visual analysis and Tau-U analysis. Results Statistically significant increases, with large to very large effect sizes, were observed for all 4 participants for parent–child eye contact and parent–child turn-taking. Limited improvements with ceiling effects were observed for parents' book selection skills. Conclusion The findings provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of an ESR intervention for babies with HL for promoting parent–child interactions through eye contact and turn-taking.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document