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.
BCABA Experimental Design and Research Methods 2
Which threat to internal validity occurs when unplanned events outside the study coincide with behavior change?