BCABA Experimental Design and Research Methods 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which threat to internal validity occurs when unplanned events outside the study coincide with behavior change?
- Maturation
- History (Correct answer)
- Instrumentation
- Attrition
Correct answer: History
History refers to external events that occur concurrently with the intervention and could account for observed behavior change.
Question 2: The independent variable in a behavior analytic experiment is:
- The behavior being measured
- The intervention or treatment being manipulated (Correct answer)
- The data collection method
- The participant's baseline level
Correct answer: The intervention or treatment being manipulated
The independent variable is what the researcher deliberately manipulates to determine its effect on behavior.
Question 3: Social validity in ABA research refers to assessing the:
- Statistical significance of results
- Meaningfulness and acceptability of goals, procedures, and outcomes (Correct answer)
- Number of participants in the study
- Duration of the intervention
Correct answer: Meaningfulness and acceptability of goals, procedures, and outcomes
Social validity measures whether the intervention's goals, procedures, and outcomes are valued and considered acceptable by stakeholders.
Question 4: A nonconcurrent multiple baseline design differs from a concurrent multiple baseline in that:
- Participants are observed simultaneously
- Baselines for different tiers are collected at different points in time (Correct answer)
- The intervention is introduced to all tiers simultaneously
- It requires more tiers to demonstrate control
Correct answer: Baselines for different tiers are collected at different points in time
In a nonconcurrent multiple baseline, the different tiers (participants, behaviors, or settings) are not observed at the same time, reducing the ability to rule out confounds.
Question 5: Replication across participants in single-subject research increases:
- Internal validity
- External validity and generality of findings (Correct answer)
- Measurement reliability
- Experimental control
Correct answer: External validity and generality of findings
Replicating findings across multiple participants extends external validity by showing the effect is not limited to one individual.
Question 6: Visual analysis of graphed data in ABA typically examines:
- Level, trend, and variability within and between phases (Correct answer)
- Mean and standard deviation only
- P-values and confidence intervals
- Effect sizes using Cohen's d
Correct answer: Level, trend, and variability within and between phases
ABA practitioners use visual analysis to evaluate level (average performance), trend (direction of change), and variability (consistency) within and across phases.
