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Based on the logic of the ABAB reversal design example, justify why the researcher must include the second baseline (A) and second treatment (B) phases instead of stopping after the first treatment phase. What does the reversal (decrease and subsequent increase in behavior) demonstrate about the causal relationship between the treatment and the studying behavior?
Case context: A researcher is conducting a single-subject study to increase a student's studying behavior using an ABAB reversal design. During the initial baseline (A), study time is low. When the treatment is introduced (B), study time increases. However, the student's parents suggest skipping the removal of the treatment (the second 'A' phase) and just keeping the treatment in place, arguing that it is unnecessary to make the student's studying behavior decrease.
Question: Based on the logic of the ABAB reversal design example, justify why the researcher must include the second baseline (A) and second treatment (B) phases instead of stopping after the first treatment phase. What does the reversal (decrease and subsequent increase in behavior) demonstrate about the causal relationship between the treatment and the studying behavior?
Sample answer: Stopping after the first treatment phase (an AB design) does not establish experimental control, as the increase in studying behavior could be due to an external confounding variable (such as maturation or history). The second baseline phase (A), where the treatment is removed, and the second treatment phase (B), where it is reintroduced, are necessary to demonstrate that the changes in studying behavior reliably co-occur with the presence and absence of the treatment. The reversal of behavior (decreasing when treatment is removed and increasing when reintroduced) demonstrates that the treatment, rather than an external factor, is the cause of the behavior change.
Key points:
- Explain that stopping after the first treatment phase does not rule out confounding variables.
- Describe how removing the treatment in the second baseline phase tests if the behavior returns to its baseline level.
- Explain how reintroducing the treatment in the second treatment phase replicates the effect.
- Conclude that this pattern of reversal and replication demonstrates a causal relationship between the treatment and the behavior.
Rubric: The response must explain that stopping at the first treatment phase (AB design) cannot rule out confounding variables. It must explain how the removal (second baseline) and reintroduction (second treatment) phases establish experimental control by showing the behavior changes depend directly on the treatment.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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