Case study
The Unit 6 Assignment requires you to apply the theories, concepts, and research that you have covered so far this term to a hypothetical case study. Your answers to the questions and completed graph should consist of information from the text and supplemental readings.You also may use sources from the Library or other credible Internet sources, but your primary sources should be the readings assigned for the course.
Read each Case Study and answer the questions below. You will need to write 2–3 typed pages for each case in order to address all required parts of the project.Answers to the questions should be typed in an APA formatted Word document, double-spaced in 12-point font and submitted to the Dropbox.
Your final paper must be your original work; plagiarism will not be tolerated. Be sure to review the Syllabus in terms of what constitutes plagiarism.Please make sure to provide proper credit for those sources used in your case study analysis in proper APA format. Please see the APA Quick Reference for any questions related to APA citations. You must credit authors when you:
- Summarize a concept, theory or research
- Use direct quotes from the text or articles
Read Case Study 1: Martin
Martin, a behavior analyst, is working with Sara, a 14-year-old girl with severe developmental delays who exhibits self-injurious behavior (SIB). Sara’s target behavior is defined as pulling her hair, biting her arm and banging her head against the wall. After conducting a functional analysis, Martin decided to employ an intervention program consisting of differential reinforcement of other (DRO) desired behavior. Martin collected data on Sara’s SIB before and during the intervention. Below is a depiction of the data that Martin collected:
Sara’s Frequency of SIB
| BASELINE Occurrences | DRO Occurrences |
| 22 | 5 |
| 25 | 5 |
| 27 | 3 |
| 26 | 2 |
Address the following questions, and complete the following requirements:
- Create a basic line graph using Microsoft Excel, to be included in your Word document. The graph should depict the data provided in this case study. You should only need to create one graph, with SIB depicted, both in baseline and in intervention.
- What type of research design did Martin employ when working with Sara? What is an advantage and a disadvantage of using this research design?
- According to the data in the graph, was the intervention that Martin selected effective in modifying Sara’s self-injurious behavior?
- Martin had considered using an ABAB reversal design when working with Sara. What are some ethical implications of selecting a reversal design when working with the type of behavior problems that Sara was exhibiting?
- Martin’s supervisor requested a graph of the data he collected when working with Sara. Why are graphs useful in evaluating behavior change?
- Discuss how a graph demonstrates a functional relationship. Identify whether the graph that you created using the data provided in this section depicts a functional relationship.
The only sources to be used are:
Cooper, J.O., Heron, T.E., & Heward, W.L. (2007). Applied Behavior Analysis. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Miltenberger, R.G. (2012). Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures. (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Solution Preview
Q2
To analyze the occurrence of self-injury behavior functional analysis method is used to experiment with the patient. This is a more ideal process that identifies the consequence of the behavioral change in a victim.
The purpose of the functional analysis is to determine the factors leading to behavioral change. SIB can greatly interfere with individual life and by use of functional analysis outcome effective treatment for SIB can be derived (Luiselli, Matson & Singh, 1992).
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