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Analytical Options for Single-Case Experimental Designs: Review and Application to Brain Impairment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2017

Rumen Manolov Open the ORCID record for Rumen Manolov [Opens in a new window]  and
Antonio Solanas
Rumen Manolov*
Affiliation:
Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Antonio Solanas
Affiliation:
Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
*
Address for correspondence: Dr. Rumen Manolov, Departament de Psicologia Social i Psicologia Quantitativa (Secció de Psicologia Quantitativa), Facultat de Psicologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035-Barcelona, Spain. E-mail: rrumenov13@ub.edu
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Abstract

Single-case experimental designs meeting evidence standards are useful for identifying empirically-supported practices. Part of the research process entails data analysis, which can be performed both visually and numerically. In the current text, we discuss several statistical techniques focusing on the descriptive quantifications that they provide on aspects such as overlap, difference in level and in slope. In both cases, the numerical results are interpreted in light of the characteristics of the data as identified via visual inspection. Two previously published data sets from patients with traumatic brain injury are re-analysed, illustrating several analytical options and the data patterns for which each of these analytical techniques is especially useful, considering their assumptions and limitations. In order to make the current review maximally informative for applied researchers, we point to free user-friendly web applications of the analytical techniques. Moreover, we offer up-to-date references to the potentially useful analytical techniques not illustrated in the article. Finally, we point to some analytical challenges and offer tentative recommendations about how to deal with them.

Keywords

Levelsingle-case experimental designsstatistical analysistrendvariability

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Type
Articles
Information
Brain Impairment , Volume 19 , Special Issue 1: Quantitative Data Analysis; by Robyn Tate and Michael Perdices , March 2018 , pp. 18 - 32
Copyright
Copyright © Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment 2017 

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