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Lesson 1: Intro to Single Case Research
What Is Single-Case Design and Why Is It Important?
The first lesson of nearly all research courses makes the case for why research is important. This course is no different. Applied behavior analysis is built on experimental evidence for various procedures. Much of this evidence is provided via single-case experimental designs.
Single-case research designs are time series research designs that allow researchers and practitioners to establish cause-and-effect relationships between two variables. From a practical perspective, it's very important to know that (a) an intervention was effective and (b) why that intervention was effective.
You'll leave this course with a series of key skills that will help as you evaluate interventions—both those presented in the research literature and those that you implement. While other research courses may focus on research at the level of the consumer (i.e., how to be a good consumer of research), this course focuses on the application of research skills.