In the study by Ross and Horner (2009), which used a multiple-baseline design across participants to evaluate a bullying prevention program, how were the treatment start times arranged across the three schools?

In the Ross and Horner (2009) study, researchers used a specific experimental sequence to show that a bullying prevention program was responsible for reducing aggression. Arrange these steps in the correct procedural order to demonstrate how this design establishes that the program—and not a random coincidence—caused the results.

Researchers are evaluating a bullying prevention program across three schools using a staggered implementation schedule: School A starts in Week 2, School B in Week 4, and School C in Week 6. Match each hypothetical data pattern with the conclusion it supports regarding the program's effectiveness.

In the Ross and Horner (2009) study, if aggressive behavior at School B had decreased at the exact same time the program was started at School A—but while School B was still in its baseline phase—the researchers would be unable to rule out coincidental factors as the cause of the behavior change.

In the study by Ross and Horner (2009) evaluating a bullying prevention program, the program was introduced at all three schools simultaneously once baseline levels of aggressive behavior were established.

In the study by Ross and Horner (2009) evaluating a bullying prevention program across three schools, the program was introduced at staggered two-week intervals. Which of the following statements best explains why this staggered timeline is essential for demonstrating the program's effectiveness?

If a skeptic argued that the reduction in aggressive behavior in the Ross and Horner (2009) study was caused by a coincidental external factor rather than the bullying prevention program itself, the staggered implementation of the treatment across the three schools would allow researchers to _____ that alternative explanation.

Based on the staggered 2-week interval design used by Ross and Horner (2009), match each school at a specific point in time to its active phase in the study, assuming School 1 starts the program at Week 2, School 2 at Week 4, and School 3 at Week 6.

If aggressive behavior had decreased at all three schools simultaneously when the bullying prevention program was only introduced at the first school, the researchers would be unable to rule out _____ factors as the cause of the behavior change.

Arrange the following steps in the correct order to evaluate the internal validity of a multiple-baseline design across three schools (School 1, School 2, and School 3) with a staggered treatment start.

Describe the core procedural steps of the multiple-baseline design across participants, as illustrated by the Ross and Horner (2009) study on bullying prevention. Provide a concise analytical response detailing how the study was structured.

Based on the principles of a multiple-baseline design, what conclusion should the researchers draw about the reading intervention's effectiveness, and why justify this conclusion?

If you were designing a multiple-baseline study across participants to test a new therapy for anxiety in four patients, how would you schedule the introduction of the therapy for each patient to maximize internal validity? Provide a brief one- to three-sentence answer.