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Single‐Case Experimental Designs in Family Therapy Research: Limitations and Considerations
Author(s) -
CRANE D. RUSSELL
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/j.1545-5300.1985.00069.x
Subject(s) - single subject design , single family , family therapy , research design , computer science , management science , psychology , risk analysis (engineering) , psychotherapist , medicine , engineering , mathematics , zoning , civil engineering , statistics
Recent authors have encouraged the use of single‐case experimental design in family therapy research. However, several issues related to the application of these designs have not been addressed. The present article suggests that the applicability of single‐case methods to family therapy research may be limited. The first issue raised is the general lack of adequate dependent measures of family interaction that fulfill the requirements of the single‐case experimental designs. Suggestions for development of appropriate measures are given. Second, the necessary reliance on relatively weak single‐case designs often allows only relatively weak conclusions. Finally, the strategy of beginning the single‐case study of family functioning and family therapy in laboratory settings is suggested.