Multiple Baseline Design
Select a published study in a behavior analytic journal published within the last five years that uses a multiple baseline design and evaluate its adherence to the requirements for making comparisons across baselines. Be sure to reference the article in APA format, and make sure your DOI link works (or upload a PDF of the article itself) and that your APA formatted reference includes only accurate details about the article you cite. If either of these requirements is missing, your grade on this discussion will be an automatic 0.
In your post, include the following:
- Identify the experimental question and purpose of the study. (5 points)
- Identify the exact design utilized (e.g., non-concurrent multiple baseline) (5 points)
- Evaluate the visual display of data and describe the (2 points each):
- Level
- Trend
- Variability
- Latency to change
- Summarize if the study demonstrated control and evidence to support your decision (2 points).
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Multiple Baseline Design
Application in Behavior Analysis
Study Focus and Purpose
The use of multiple baseline designs is especially effective in applied behavior analysis (ABA) when withdrawing a treatment is impractical or unethical. These designs aim to demonstrate a functional relationship between the intervention and changes in behavior by staggering the introduction of the intervention over time.
Design Variations
Multiple baseline designs can take three main forms:
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Across subjects: applied to multiple individuals exhibiting the same target behavior.
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Across settings: the same subject’s behavior is measured in different environments.
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Across behaviors: applied to different behaviors exhibited by the same individual.
A non-concurrent multiple baseline design, where data collection for each baseline starts at different times, is useful when simultaneous baselines aren’t feasible. However, it requires strong procedural controls and justifications for valid comparisons.
Data Interpretation Criteria
Key features to evaluate include:
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Level: The magnitude of the response before and after intervention.
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Trend: The direction of behavior change over time.
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Variability: The consistency or fluctuation of the behavior within a phase.
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Latency to change: The time taken for the behavior to change after introducing the intervention.
Conclusion
When implemented correctly, multiple baseline designs provide robust evidence of treatment efficacy without the ethical issues of withdrawal designs. They are crucial in ABA for making individualized, data-driven decisions.
