Fred refuses to speak at school, although he speaks normally at home. His therapist plans out a treatment where Fred is given a gold star every time he answers his teacher, and he can then trade in his stars for prizes. Fred begins speaking in class. The therapist then tells the teacher to stop the program for a couple of weeks. Fred stops talking during that time. The teacher then starts giving Fred stars again, and Fred again begins to talk. This is an example of ________
A) a case study.
B) a correlational study.
C) an ABAB experimental design study.
D) a self-report study.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an example of an ABAB experimental design study, where a baseline (A) is established, then an intervention is implemented (B), followed by the removal of the intervention (A), and then re-introducing the intervention (B) to observe its effects. This helps to establish the effectiveness of the intervention by demonstrating whether the behavior changes based on the presence or absence of the intervention.

Fred Refuses to Speak at School, Although He Speaks Normally