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DESIGN‐CRITERIA RELATIONSHIPS IN BEHAVIOR THERAPY RESEARCH WITH CHILDREN
Author(s) -
MacDonough Tome S.,
McNamara J. Regis
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1973.tb01194.x
Subject(s) - psychology , research design , multiple baseline design , clinical psychology , statistics , intervention (counseling) , psychiatry , mathematics
SUMMARY Distorted underestimates (Pawlicki, 1970) of the scientific adequacy of behavior therapy research with children has resulted because appropriate design‐criteria relationships were not considered in evaluating studies in this area. Eighty percent of the studies have appropriately incorporated the criteria of control group, baseline, and systematic variation of treatment into their designs. However, even when design‐criteria relationships are considered, a number of criteria have been inadequately controlled for in a large percentage of studies. In fact, the criteria of unbiased observer and follow‐up have, on the average, been controlled for in only 46 per cent of the studies reviewed. If the scientific merit of research in this area is to be accepted, then more attention to tightening controls on these variables is needed.