Introduction of Single Subject Designs as New Experimental Designs. (I). Their practical methods and comparison with group comparison designs / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

The present-paper introduced the logics and practical methods of single subject designs by comparing them with group comparison designs. It was pointed out that the single subject designs assert that controlling variables for a subject's behavior should be identified using individual analysis. Those characteristics were summarized as (a) acquisition of steady state data resulting from repeated measurement of target behaviors, and (b) identification of the functional relationship between experimental variables and dependent variables by successive comparison between baseline and experimental condition. The methods, advantages and problems in the principal single subject designs, such as AB design, reversal designs, multiple baseline design and alternating treatments design were explained. Several problems in the group comparison designs were pointed out and the possibilities for applying the single subject designs to research on acupuncture were discussed.