(Click the image for the question, if it doesn't show).
Tips for breaking down the question:
1. Rephrase the question: Which situation is the most concerning with respect to ABAB design?
2. Identify what you know about ABAB design.
- AKA Single case design or single subject design
- Individuals serve as their own controls
- Involves the repeated application and removal of treatment
- Should be cautious about using it with severe conditions or behaviors because of ethical implications and danger around removing possibly effective treatment.
3. Go through each response, marking answers with +/-/? based on what you know.
+ is likely correct
- is incorrect
? could be correct, but need to evaluate it more
A. Subjects in the control group are from a vulnerable population. (?) While you should take great care with conducting research with vulnerable populations, each individual in a single case design serves as their own control -- there isn’t a control group. This response is partially incorrect, so it's all incorrect.
B. The treatment involves repeated administrations. (-) This describes an ABAB design and is not a concern by itself.
C. The dependent variable involves severe aggression. (+) Researchers should be cautious about withdrawing an effective treatment when the behavior or condition of interest is particularly severe or dangerous due to the risk of causing unnecessary harm to the individual.
D. The independent variable involves punishment. (?) This by itself is not a concern. Punishment involves the application or removal of a stimulus resulting in a decrease in behavior. While the term sounds negative, in behavioral language it simply refers to the impact on behavior.
4. Go back through the (?) answers using what you know about ABAB designs.
- Is anything partially incorrect? If so, it's all incorrect. Change it to (-)
- If you find yourself saying, "D. could be correct if the punishment involved shock." STOP. Remember to use the information in front of you to evaluate the responses.