Learn Before
Case Study

Based on the concept of 'level' in visual inspection, explain what this immediate shift in the dependent variable's magnitude between the baseline and treatment conditions indicates about the intervention's effectiveness, and justify your response using the case details.

Case context: A school psychologist is evaluating a classroom intervention to reduce a student's out-of-seat behavior using a single-subject design. During the baseline phase, the student is out of their seat an average of 15 times per class period. When the intervention is introduced, the frequency of out-of-seat behavior immediately drops to an average of 3 times per class period, and stays around that height throughout the treatment phase.

Question: Based on the concept of 'level' in visual inspection, explain what this immediate shift in the dependent variable's magnitude between the baseline and treatment conditions indicates about the intervention's effectiveness, and justify your response using the case details.

Sample answer: The drop from an average of 15 out-of-seat behaviors to an average of 3 behaviors represents a substantial shift in the level of the dependent variable. Because the overall magnitude or height of the data is significantly lower in the treatment condition than in the baseline condition, the psychologist can conclude that the intervention had a meaningful effect.

Key points:

  • Identifies the shift in behavior frequency from 15 to 3 as a change in level.
  • Explains that level refers to the overall magnitude or height of the dependent variable.
  • Concludes that the substantial decrease in level suggests the intervention was effective.

Rubric: The response must identify the change in behavior (from 15 to 3 times) as a change in level (magnitude/height) of the dependent variable, and correctly conclude that this shift indicates a meaningful intervention effect.

0

1

Updated 2026-05-27

Contributors are:

Who are from:

Tags

KPU

Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

Related