Dr. Soto was conducting research in a small rural community in Asia that was affected by an earthquake. Dr. Soto collected baseline measurements on posttraumatic responses and then the natural disaster assistance team arrived. Dr. Soto collected the same information again from respondents after the disaster assistance team had been stationed for one week. After two weeks the disaster assistance team left and Dr. Soto collected posttraumatic response data again. Dr. Soto expected that the posttraumatic responses would return to baseline after the disaster assistance team left. Dr. Soto wants to establish further evidence of covariation by showing that the participants' behavior systematically changes when disaster assistance is available and when it is removed. Which of the following designs would help further Dr. Soto's conclusion of causality?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The A-B-A-B design, also known as a reversal or withdrawal design, involves observing behavior before and after an intervention (B phases) and then withdrawing the intervention to see if the behavior returns to baseline levels (A phases). This design would allow Dr. Soto to systematically observe changes in posttraumatic responses with the presence and absence of disaster assistance, thus providing stronger evidence for causality by demonstrating that changes in behavior (posttraumatic responses) are directly related to the intervention (disaster assistance).

Dr Soto Was Conducting Research in a Small Rural Community