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Single-case experimental designs. Evaluating interventions in research and clinical practice
Abstract
Single-case designs refer to a methodological approach that can be used to investigate the effectiveness of treatment with the individual client. The designs permit scientifically valid inferences to be drawn about the effects of treatment and hence offer advantages over alternative strategies such as the uncontrolled case study or open study that are used with the individual case. The present article discusses the key features of the methodology, illustrates specific designs and how inferences are drawn, and discusses critical issues (feasibility, generality of results, ethical issues) in the use of the designs. Essential features of the design, including ongoing assessment and drawing on the underlying thinking and logic of the designs can improve the clinical care for individual clients, even when the rigors of experimentation are not feasible or desirable. Lamentably, single-case methods are rarely trained among researchers or practitioners in psychology or related mental health professions. The designs could play a special role by improving individual care and therapeutic change, apart from the strength of the methodology as a purely research tool.
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“Single-subject methods have “the advantage of offering a carefully controlled investigation on a small scale” that can then build generalisable results through systematic replication (Kazdin, 2019).”
From Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for women living with Vulvodynia: A single-case experimental design study of a treatment delivered online (2022) · cites this paper as Kazdin, 2019
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Metadata
- Authors
- Kazdin, A. E.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kazdin, Alan E.
- ORCID
- Kazdin, Alan E.
- Venue
- Behaviour Research and Therapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-06
- Volume
- 117
- Pages
- 3-17
- ISSN
- 0005-7967 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2902271959
- Cited by
- 217
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 42 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 6
- FWCI
- 12.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behaviour Research and Therapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Psychology Research and Bibliometrics
- Keywords
- single-case experimental design, treatment efficacy assessment, clinical practice, generalizability of results, research ethics, continuous assessment, therapeutic change
- MeSH terms
- Data Analysis, Single-Case Studies as Topic, Humans, Research Design, Treatment Outcome
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