A single case propensity theory of explanation

Synthese ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Fetzer
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Single Case Propensity ◽  
Case Propensity ◽  
Propensity Theory

Probability and Propensities

2019 ◽  
pp. 182-190
Author(s):  
Paul Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Probability Theory ◽  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Formal Theory ◽  
Empirical Theory ◽  
Empirical Interpretation ◽  
Propensity Interpretation ◽  
Single Case Propensity ◽  
Case Propensity ◽  
Mathematical Interpretation

Retrospective reflections are provided on the papers “Why Propensities Cannot Be Probabilities,” “Some Considerations on Conditional Chances,” and “Probability Theory and Its Models” by Paul Humphreys. A discussion of whether probability theory is a mathematical or an empirical theory is provided and the point made that mathematical theories are not revised but replaced when used as models of empirical phenomena. Probability theory qua formal theory has a mathematical interpretation but any empirical interpretation, contra Quine, is completely detachable. A replacement for Quine’s web metaphor is suggested. The author assesses Donald Gillies’ response to Humphreys’ Paradox, and reasons not to abandon the single case propensity interpretation of probabilities are given. Responses to the paradox by Mauricio Suárez, Isabelle Drouet, Leslie Ballentine, and David Miller are discussed, and an argument given that the temporal evolution approach is primary for absolute propensities.

The Propensity Interpretation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Gillies
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Statistical Testing ◽  
Interpretation Of Probability ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Propensity Interpretation ◽  
Single Case Propensity ◽  
Case Propensity

The propensity interpretation of probability was introduced by Popper in 1957, and the chapter begins with a discussion of Popper’s initial account of propensities and a comparison with Peirce’s related ideas. The original propensity interpretation had a number of strands, some of which could be accepted while others were rejected. This meant that the propensity interpretation could be, and was, developed in different ways by different philosophers of science. One point at issue was whether propensities were objective probabilities of single events. This led to a distinction between (i) single-case propensity theories, and (ii) long-run propensity theories. Another problem concerned the relation between propensities and causes – if propensities had a causal import, because of what is known as the Humphreys’ paradox they might not satisfy the standard axioms of probability. The chapter concludes by discussing how propensities might be connected to observed frequencies via the theory of statistical testing.

Moving Forward Four Words at a Time: Effects of a Supplemental Preschool Vocabulary Intervention

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey A. Peters-Sanders ◽  
Elizabeth S. Kelley ◽  
Christa Haring Biel ◽  
Keri Madsen ◽  
Xigrid Soto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Group Intervention ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Single Case Design ◽  
Vocabulary Intervention ◽  
Iterative Development ◽  
At Risk Children ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Child Friendly ◽  
Interactive Lessons ◽  
Case Design

Purpose This study evaluated the effects of an automated, small-group intervention designed to teach preschoolers challenging vocabulary words. Previous studies have provided evidence of efficacy. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the program after doubling the number of words taught from 2 to 4 words per book. Method Seventeen preschool children listened to 1 prerecorded book per week for 9 weeks. Each storybook had embedded, interactive lessons for 4 target vocabulary words. Each lesson provided repeated exposures to words and their definitions, child-friendly contexts, and multiple opportunities for children to respond verbally to instructional prompts. Participants were asked to define the weekly targeted vocabulary before and after intervention. A repeated acquisition single-case design was used to examine the effects of the books and embedded lessons on learning of target vocabulary words. Results Treatment effects were observed for all children across many of the books. Learning of at least 2 points (i.e., 1 word) was replicated for 74.5% of 149 books tested across the 17 participants. On average, children learned to define 47% of the target vocabulary words (17 out of 36). Conclusions Results support including 4 challenging words per book, as children learned substantially more words when 4 words were taught, in comparison to previous studies. Within an iterative development process, results of the current study take us 1 step closer to creating an optimal vocabulary intervention that supports the language development of at-risk children.

A Pilot Study of Early Storybook Reading With Babies With Hearing Loss

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 3397-3412
Author(s):  
Michelle I. Brown ◽  
David Trembath ◽  
Marleen F. Westerveld ◽  
Gail T. Gillon
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Eye Contact ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Storybook Reading ◽  
Book Selection ◽  
Turn Taking ◽  
Parent Child

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.

Successful Implicit Vocabulary Intervention for Three Cantonese-Speaking Toddlers: A Replicated Single-Case Design

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 4148-4161
Author(s):  
Christine S.-Y. Ng ◽  
Stephanie F. Stokes ◽  
Mary Alt
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Single Case Design ◽  
Vocabulary Intervention ◽  
Phonological Neighborhood Density ◽  
Phonological Neighborhood ◽  
And Control ◽  
Case Design

Purpose We report on a replicated single-case design study that measured the feasibility of an expressive vocabulary intervention for three Cantonese-speaking toddlers with small expressive lexicons relative to their age. The aim was to assess the cross-cultural and cross-linguistic feasibility of an intervention method developed for English-speaking children. Method A nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design was used with four baseline data points and 16 intervention sessions per participant. The intervention design incorporated implicit learning principles, high treatment dosage, and control of the phonological neighborhood density of the stimuli. The children (24–39 months) attended 7–9 weeks of twice weekly input-based treatment in which no explicit verbal production was required from the child. Each target word was provided as input a minimum of 64 times in at least two intervention sessions. Treatment feasibility was measured by comparison of how many of the target and control words the child produced across the intervention period, and parent-reported expressive vocabulary checklists were completed for comparison of pre- and postintervention child spoken vocabulary size. An omnibus effect size for the treatment effect of the number of target and control words produced across time was calculated using Kendall's Tau. Results There was a significant treatment effect for target words learned in intervention relative to baselines, and all children produced significantly more target than control words across the intervention period. The effect of phonological neighborhood density on expressive word production could not be evaluated because two of the three children learned all target words. Conclusion The results provide cross-cultural evidence of the feasibility of a model of intervention that incorporated a high-dosage, cross-situational statistical learning paradigm to teach spoken word production to children with small expressive lexicons.

Bang for Your Buck: A Single-Case Experimental Design Study of Practice Amount and Distribution in Treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 3160-3182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Maas ◽  
Christina Gildersleeve-Neumann ◽  
Kathy Jakielski ◽  
Nicolette Kovacs ◽  
Ruth Stoeckel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Distributed Practice ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Single Subject Design ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Childhood Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Massed Practice ◽  
Treatment Conditions

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine 2 aspects of treatment intensity in treatment for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS): practice amount and practice distribution. Method Using an alternating-treatments single-subject design with multiple baselines, we compared high versus low amount of practice, and massed versus distributed practice, in 6 children with CAS. Conditions were manipulated in the context of integral stimulation treatment. Changes in perceptual accuracy, scored by blinded analysts, were quantified with effect sizes. Results Four children showed an advantage for high amount of practice, 1 showed an opposite effect, and 1 showed no condition difference. For distribution, 4 children showed a clear advantage for massed over distributed practice post treatment; 1 showed an opposite pattern, and 1 showed no clear difference. Follow-up revealed a similar pattern. All children demonstrated treatment effects (larger gains for treated than untreated items). Conclusions High practice amount and massed practice were associated with more robust speech motor learning in most children with CAS, compared to low amount and distributed practice, respectively. Variation in effects across children warrants further research to determine factors that predict optimal treatment conditions. Finally, this study adds to the evidence base supporting the efficacy of integral stimulation treatment for CAS. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9630599

A Phonomotor Approach to Apraxia of Speech Treatment

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2109-2130
Author(s):  
Lauren Bislick
Keyword(s):  
Phase I ◽  
Treatment Effects ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
The Other ◽  
Multimodal Approach ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Duration Of Treatment ◽  
Treatment Gains ◽  
Future Work

Purpose This study continued Phase I investigation of a modified Phonomotor Treatment (PMT) Program on motor planning in two individuals with apraxia of speech (AOS) and aphasia and, with support from prior work, refined Phase I methodology for treatment intensity and duration, a measure of communicative participation, and the use of effect size benchmarks specific to AOS. Method A single-case experimental design with multiple baselines across behaviors and participants was used to examine acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of treatment effects 8–10 weeks posttreatment. Treatment was distributed 3 days a week, and duration of treatment was specific to each participant (criterion based). Experimental stimuli consisted of target sounds or clusters embedded nonwords and real words, specific to each participants' deficit. Results Findings show improved repetition accuracy for targets in trained nonwords, generalization to targets in untrained nonwords and real words, and maintenance of treatment effects at 10 weeks posttreatment for one participant and more variable outcomes for the other participant. Conclusions Results indicate that a modified version of PMT can promote generalization and maintenance of treatment gains for trained speech targets via a multimodal approach emphasizing repeated exposure and practice. While these results are promising, the frequent co-occurrence of AOS and aphasia warrants a treatment that addresses both motor planning and linguistic deficits. Thus, the application of traditional PMT with participant-specific modifications for AOS embedded into the treatment program may be a more effective approach. Future work will continue to examine and maximize improvements in motor planning, while also treating anomia in aphasia.

Evidence-Based Practice & Practice-Based Evidence Applied to Adult, Medical Speech-Language Pathology

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rik Lemoncello ◽  
Bryan Ness
Keyword(s):  
Evidence Based Practice ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Clinical Practices ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials ◽  
Relative Paucity ◽  
Language Pathology

In this paper, we review concepts of evidence-based practice (EBP), and provide a discussion of the current limitations of EBP in terms of a relative paucity of efficacy evidence and the limitations of applying findings from randomized controlled clinical trials to individual clinical decisions. We will offer a complementary model of practice-based evidence (PBE) to encourage clinical scientists to design, implement, and evaluate our own clinical practices with high-quality evidence. We will describe two models for conducting PBE: the multiple baseline single-case experimental design and a clinical case study enhanced with generalization and control data probes. Gathering, analyzing, and sharing high-quality data can offer additional support through PBE to support EBP in speech-language pathology. It is our hope that these EBP and PBE strategies will empower clinical scientists to persevere in the quest for best practices.

Using Single-Case Research Designs in Communication Science

2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-10
Author(s):  
Robert H. Horner ◽  
Kent McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Case Research ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
Single Case Research
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