ABA 504 Introduction to Measurement and Single-Subject Design
General Description of the Job
This work establishes the academic basis of their Final Work by anchoring it to a specific behavior or skill that they will carry out throughout the rest of the course. They will select a single behavior or skill (e.g., escape from the environment, vocal commands, brushing teeth, behavior of permanence in the task, problem behavior maintained by escape) and will review how the literature
Of measurement and design of a single subject has studied that behavior: how researchers have defined it, measured and designed studies around it. This is not a textbook summary; it is a critical analysis of how the field has measured and investigated their behavior.
Selection of Conduct / Skill
Select a specific and observable behavior or skill that can lead to the proposal of your Final Work. Their behavior must be operationally defined and have existing peer-reviewed measurement literature. Examples:
A problematic behavior (e.g., self-injurious behavior, aggression, escape from the environment, stereotype)
A communicative or social skill (e.g., commands, intraverbal, initiating interaction with peers)
An academic or daily life skill (e.g., oral reading fluency, hand washing, use of the bathroom)
Health, safety or organizational behavior (e.g., medication adherence, integrity of personnel treatment)
If your conduct is outside these examples, submit it to the instructor's approval before Session 5.
Work Instructions
Component 1 — Introduction and Justification
Identify your objective conduct or skill and provide a preliminary operational definition.
Explain why accurate and reliable measurement of this behavior is important scientifically and clinically.
Clearly establish the purpose and scope of your review.
Component 2 - How Literature Meases and Studies This Behavior (3–5 Peer-Reviewed Sources)
Critically analyze a minimum of 3 peer-reviewed sources that have measured or investigated their behavior, including at least 1 classic/foundational source and 1 modern source (published in the last 10 years).
For each source: describe how the behavior was operationally defined, the dimension and the measurement method used (e.g., rate, duration, latency, partial interval, IOA procedures), the single subject design used (where applicable), the key findings and limitations.
Through the sources: sum up how the measurement and design approaches for this behavior have evolved. Identify trends, convergences and unresolved measurement or design problems that are specific to their behavior.
Component 3 — Conclusion and Implications
Summary the key idea of measurement or design that your review reveals about this behavior.
Identify at least one methodological gap or challenge in the measurement or study of their behavior.
Describe how this behavior and its measurement are connected with the research proposal of your Final Work.
Format
3–4 pages, double space, Arial 12 pt, 1 inch margins. APA 7. Section headers are required. Minimum 3 peer-reviewed sources. The cover and references are excluded from the page count.