Week 13

Week 13:       Single-Case Designs and Small-n Research

SHORT-ANSWER

1.   Identify and briefly described at least two advantages and disadvantages of the case study method.

2.   Describe an advantage and a disadvantage of single-subject experimental designs relative to multiple-groups designs.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

3.   The relationship of the case study method to other research methods of investigation can best be described as:

      A.  very similar to experimental approaches.

      B.  antagonistic to more controlled methods.

      C.  interrelated with and complementary to other methods.

      D.  most related to methods used to conduct confirmatory studies.

4.   A cognitive psychologist did an intensive study of a person who had suffered an unusual brain injury. Which of the following methods did the psychologist use?

      A.  idiogram method

      B.  unipolar method

      C.  baseline method

      D.  case study method

5.   Which of the following is an advantage of the case study method?

      A.  Case studies are a source of ideas and hypotheses about behavior.

      B.  Case studies are a source of definitive evidence in support of theoretical assumptions.

      C.  Case studies provide little opportunity for clinical innovation.

      D.  Case studies complement the idiographic study of behavior.

6.   Case studies have been used successfully to study individuals with brain disorders and to study children who were abandoned at an early age and who developed without much human contact. These studies illustrate the use of the case study method to:

      A.  apply the nomothetic approach.

      B.  test a clinical innovation.

      C.  study rare phenomena.

      D.  provide conclusive evidence for a particular theory.

7.   In the nomothetic approach to the study of psychology, researchers generally conduct:

      A.  intensive studies of an individual to describe the way people behave in general.

      B.  intensive studies of an individual to describe the unique aspects of individuals.

      C.  studies of many individuals and use their average behavior to describe the unique aspects of individuals.

      D.  studies of many individuals and use their average behavior to describe how people behave in general.

8.   The task confronting clinical psychologists can be described as trying to predict “what any one person will do.” Actuarial predictions and group norms can be useful, but the clinician's task also illustrates the need for:

      A.  nomothetic research.

      B.  idiographic research.

      C.  teleological research.

      D.  psychoanalytic research.

9.   Idiographic research, as represented by the case study method, has the potential to reveal:

      A.  nuances and subtleties of behavior.

      B.  causal mechanisms underlying behavior.

      C.  contradictory effects of well-controlled treatment variables.

      D.  definitive evidence for the effectiveness of a particular treatment.

10. The major difficulty with the case study method as a basis for drawing cause-and-effect conclusions is that:

      A.  coding of the results cannot be done reliably and validly.

      B.  biases of the researcher must dominate the interpretation of the results.

      C.  the simultaneous use of several treatments and failure to control extraneous variables prevent causal inference.

      D.  excessive constraints on the external validity of the case study prevent causal inference.

11. The most serious disadvantage of the case study method, because of internal validity issues, is the:

      A.  possible problem of observer bias affecting the interpretation of the outcome.

      B.  limitation of information based on self-reports.

      C.  possible problem of generalizing from a single individual.

      D.  difficulty of making causal inferences regarding the effect of treatment.

12. Which of the following characteristics is present in a typical case study?

      A.  extraneous variables are controlled

      B.  several different treatments are often applied simultaneously

      C.  treatment variables are often varied systematically

      D.  All of these