Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Single-case experimental designs: the importance of randomization and replication

Nature Reviews Methods Primers volume 4, Article number: 27 (2024) Cite this article

Subjects

Single-case experimental designs are rapidly growing in popularity. This popularity needs to be accompanied by transparent and well-justified methodological and statistical decisions. Appropriate experimental design including randomization, proper data handling and adequate reporting are needed to ensure reproducibility and internal validity. The degree of generalizability can be assessed through replication.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Kazdin, A. E. Single-case experimental designs: characteristics, changes, and challenges. J. Exp. Anal. Behav. 115, 56–85 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Shadish, W. & Sullivan, K. J. Characteristics of single-case designs used to assess intervention effects in 2008. Behav. Res. 43, 971–980 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Tanious, R. & Onghena, P. A systematic review of applied single-case research published between 2016 and 2018: study designs, randomization, data aspects, and data analysis. Behav. Res. 53, 1371–1384 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Ferron, J., Foster-Johnson, L. & Kromrey, J. D. The functioning of single-case randomization tests with and without random assignment. J. Exp. Educ. 71, 267–288 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Michiels, B., Heyvaert, M., Meulders, A. & Onghena, P. Confidence intervals for single-case effect size measures based on randomization test inversion. Behav. Res. 49, 363–381 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Aydin, O. Characteristics of missing data in single-case experimental designs: an investigation of published data. Behav. Modif. https://doi.org/10.1177/01454455231212265 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. De, T. K., Michiels, B., Tanious, R. & Onghena, P. Handling missing data in randomization tests for single-case experiments: a simulation study. Behav. Res. 52, 1355–1370 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Baek, E., Luo, W. & Lam, K. H. Meta-analysis of single-case experimental design using multilevel modeling. Behav. Modif. 47, 1546–1573 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Michiels, B., Tanious, R., De, T. K. & Onghena, P. A randomization test wrapper for synthesizing single-case experiments using multilevel models: a Monte Carlo simulation study. Behav. Res. 52, 654–666 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Tate, R. L. et al. The single-case reporting guideline in behavioural interventions (SCRIBE) 2016: explanation and elaboration. Arch. Sci. Psychol. 4, 10–31 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

R.T. and J.W.S.V. disclose support for the research of this work from the Dutch Research Council and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (NWO gravitation grant number 024.004.016) within the research project ‘New Science of Mental Disorders’ (www.nsmd.eu). R.M. discloses support from the Generalitat de Catalunya’s Agència de Gestió d’Ajusts Universitaris i de Recerca (grant number 2021SGR00366).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Experimental Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands

    René Tanious & Johan W. S. Vlaeyen

  2. Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Rumen Manolov

  3. Methodology of Educational Sciences Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Patrick Onghena

Authors
  1. René Tanious
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rumen Manolov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Patrick Onghena
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Johan W. S. Vlaeyen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to René Tanious.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tanious, R., Manolov, R., Onghena, P. et al. Single-case experimental designs: the importance of randomization and replication. Nat Rev Methods Primers 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-024-00312-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-024-00312-8

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing