Author: Hagopian (2020)
Summary: This paper discusses the benefits of the consecutive controlled case series (CCCS) which utilises SCEDs on consecutively encountered cases. The paper highlights how SCEDs are an important method for behaviour analytic research but notes their weaknesses in generality. CCCS can be used to enable exploration of generality and its determinants by showing the differences in outcomes between cases. A variety of types of CCCS were assessed including retrospective, prospective, and randomised CCCS. Retrospective CCCS as particularly good at assessing general efficacy of clinical procedures. Prospective CCCS have strengths in providing a high level of control which can be advantageous in a formal research study. Randomised CCCS allow a wholly behaviour analytic randomised control trial to be performed. Overall, utilisation of different CCCS types can lend different flavours to a study, while simultaneously enabling assessment of the conditions required for a procedure to be efficacious.
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Full citation: Hagopian, L. P. (2020). The consecutive controlled case series: Design, data‐analytics, and reporting methods supporting the study of generality. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53, 596-619.