Part I: Design Your Research
Create a research question.
Select two or three behaviors to change (dependent variables), either in yourself or someone (or an animal) close to you (not a client) and define that behavior carefully in clearly measurable terms. Determine how you can best measure your dependent variables. In most cases, the simplest measurements like rate, duration, speed, or latency will work best. Intensity is difficult to quantify and should be avoided.
Decide upon a “treatment” or intervention (independent variable) that you believe will be sufficiently appetitive or aversive to be effective in changing the behavior. Don’t forget to consider:
anything that might impact the effectiveness of your treatment.
whether or not the treatment you have selected will be effective in changing the behavior of the particular subject (person or animal) participating in your experiment.
any ethical issues that could arise in your experiment.
Select the research design that is best suited to your intervention. Most students find the Reversal ABAB Design to be best, but you can use any of the designs from Chapter 4. You will need instructor permission to use the Simple Comparison AB Design.
Part II: Conduct Your Research
Conduct your research. For example, if you are using the Reversal ABAB Design:
After ensuring that you are prepared to begin recording your data and that you have a method planned that will work, begin taking a baseline measure (A phase) and recording your dependent variables measurements. You should continue doing so until the behavior has stabilized (you may see an initial change just because you are measuring the behavior). This usually takes at least 3 days.
Then, begin the treatment phase (B) in which you introduce your independent variable. Continue to measure your dependent variables and record your data for 3 days or the length of time you have determined from your baseline phase.
Following the treatment phase, go back to the non-treatment mode and withdraw your independent variable, continuing to measure the dependent variable.
Finally, in your final phase, re-introduce your independent variable and complete your measurements.)
