Rumen Manolov

University of Barcelona | UB · Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology

Alternating treatments designs (ATDs) have received comparatively less attention than other single-case experimental designs in terms of data analysis, as most analytical proposals and illustrations have been made in the context of designs including phases with several consecutive measurements in the same condition. One of the specific features of...

Due to the complex nature of single-case experimental design data, numerous effect measures are available to quantify and evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention. An inappropriate choice of the effect measure can result in a misrepresentation of the intervention effectiveness and this can have far-reaching implications for theory, practice, a...

In science in general and in the context of single-case experimental designs, replication of the effects of the intervention within and/or across participants or experiments is crucial for establishing causality and for assessing the generality of the intervention effect. Specific developments and proposals for assessing whether an effect has been...

Immediacy is one of six data aspects (alongside level, trend, variability, overlap, and consistency) that has to be accounted for when visually analyzing single‐case data. Given that it is one of the aspects that has received considerably less attention than other data aspects, the current text offers a review of the proposed conceptual definitions...

Single-case data often contain trends. Accordingly, to account for baseline trend, several data-analytical techniques extrapolate it into the subsequent intervention phase. Such extrapolation led to forecasts that were smaller than the minimal possible value in 40% of the studies published in 2015 that we reviewed. To avoid impossible predicted val...

Aim To determine the effectiveness of the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO‐OP) approach in improving the occupational performance goals of children and young people with executive function deficits after acquired brain injury (ABI) (e.g. etiologies such as stroke, encephalitis, brain tumor, and traumatic brain injury). M...

Randomization tests represent a class of significance tests to assess the statistical significance of treatment effects in randomized single-case experiments. Most applications of single-case randomization tests concern simple treatment effects: immediate, abrupt, and permanent changes in the level of the outcome variable. However, researchers are...

There are currently a multitude of quantification techniques that have been developed for use with single-case designs. As a result, choosing an appropriate quantification technique can be overwhelming and it can be difficult for researchers to properly describe and justify their use of quantification techniques. However, providing clear descriptio...

One of the data features that are expected to be assessed when analyzing single-case experimental designs (SCED) data is trend. The current text deals with four different questions that applied researchers can ask themselves when assessing trend and especially when dealing with improving baseline trend: (a) What options exist for assessing the pres...

The COVID-19 pandemic and the political and health measures have profoundly affected the health of our populations. However, very few studies have been published assessing its impact using a prospective cohort. The aim of this study is to describe the impact on physical and mental health due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population in Spa...

Overlap is one of the data aspects that are expected to be assessed when visually inspecting single-case experimental designs data. Multiple quantifications of overlap are available and have been described and used widely in the literature. The current text focuses on the graphical representation of overlap, given that some straightforward visual a...

Trend is one of the data aspects that is an object of assessment in the context of single-case experimental designs. This assessment can be performed both visually and quantitatively. Given that trend, just like other relevant data features such as level, immediacy, or overlap does not have a single operative definition, a comparison among the exis...

Background: The aim is to analyze whether people with low resilience are at higher risk of mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spanish adults. Methods: a longitudinal cohort study was carried out. Resilience was measured with the CD-RISC. Mental health problems that were assessed included: Major Depressive Episode (MDE), Gener...

This is the protocol of a single-case multiple baseline experimental study on the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral intervention for panic disorder in adults attending the emergency department of a general hospital in Mexico.

Background To analyze whether people with low resilience are at higher risk of mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spanish adults. Methods A longitudinal cohort study was carried out. Resilience was measured pre/post-pandemic with the CD-RISC. Mental health problems assessed were: Major Depressive Episode (MDE), Generalized Anxi...

Despite the existence of sophisticated statistical methods, systematic reviews regularly indicate that single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) are predominantly analyzed through visual tools. For the quantitative aggregation of results, different meta-analytical techniques are available, but specific visual tools for the meta-analysis of SCEDs are...

When visually inspecting single-case experimental designs data, several data aspects have been recommended to be assessed: level, trend, variability, immediacy, overlap, and consistency. In order to make the visual inspection easier, several visual aids such as adding mean or trend lines, have been proposed. In the current text, we propose an addit...

Randomization tests represent a class of significance tests to assess the statistical significance of treatment effects in randomized single-case experiments. Most applications of single-case randomization tests concern simple treatment effects: immediate, abrupt, and permanent changes in the level of the outcome variable. However, in educational p...

Immediacy is one of six data aspects (alongside level, trend, variability, overlap, and consistency) that has to be taken into account when visually analyzing single-case data. Given that it is one of the aspects that has received considerably less attention than other data aspects, the current text offers a broad review of the proposed conceptual...

Single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) are a class of experimental designs suited for answering research questions at an individual level. The main designs available in SCED research are phase designs, multiple baseline designs, alternation designs, and changing criterion designs. Embedded designs, also referred to as combination or hybrid design...

This text focuses on the quantitative integration of studies using alternating treatments designs (ATDs) and changing criterion designs (CCDs) with other types of single-case experimental designs (SCEDs), such as multiple-baseline and withdrawal, which have received more attention in terms of statistical developments. First, a review of how publish...

Objective: SARS-CoV-2 outbreak has a negative psychological impact among general population. Data comparing mental health status before and during the outbreak is needed. The BIOVAL-D-COVID-19 study assess the socio-economic and psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in a representative sample of non-institutionalized Spanish ad...

In science in general and, therefore, in the context of single-case experimental designs (SCED), the replication of the effects of the intervention within and across participants is crucial for establishing causality and also for assessing the generality of the intervention effect. Specific developments and proposals for assessing whether an effect...

Multiple quantitative methods for single-case experimental design data have been applied to multiple-baseline, withdrawal, and reversal designs. The advanced data analytic techniques historically applied to single-case design data are primarily applicable to designs that involve clear sequential phases such as repeated measurement during baseline a...

The data gathered via single-case experimental designs usually lead to obtaining more than one effect size, quantifying the difference between each baseline condition (A) and intervention condition (B). These effect sizes resulting from the A-B comparisons present a nested structure, as there can be several effect sizes for the same participant, or...

The current text deals with the assessment of consistency of data features from experimentally similar phases and consistency of effects in single-case experimental designs. Although consistency is frequently mentioned as a critical feature, few quantifications have been proposed so far: namely, under the acronyms CONDAP (consistency of data patter...

A systematic search of single-case experimental design literature was conducted to determine the quantitative analysis techniques used for single-case experimental design studies and the justifications provided for using such analysis techniques. Preregistration protocols for single-case experimental design studies were also identified. The systema...

Consistency is one of the crucial single-case data aspects that are expected to be assessed visually, when evaluating the presence of an intervention effect. Complementarily to visual inspection, there have been recent proposals for quantifying the consistency of data patterns in similar phases and the consistency of effects for reversal, multiple-...

In the context of single-case experimental designs, replication is crucial. On the one hand, the replication of the basic effect within a study is necessary for demonstrating experimental control. On the other hand, replication across studies is required for establishing the generality of the intervention effect. Moreover, the “replicability crisis...

The current text deals with the assessment of consistency of data features from experimentally similar phases and consistency of effects in single-case experimental designs. Although consistency is frequently mentioned as a critical feature, few quantifications have been proposed so far: namely, under the acronyms CONDAP (consistency of data patter...

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of tailored cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on depression and anxiety symptoms present in Mexican terminal cancer patients. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design was used across individuals. Nine patients participated in the study, each receiving four to six therapy sessions. The effect size...

Quality standards for single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) recommend inspecting six data aspects: level, trend, variability, overlap, immediacy, and consistency of data patterns. The data aspect consistency has long been neglected by visual and statistical analysts of SCEDs despite its importance for inferring a causal relationship. However, re...

In the context of single-case experimental designs, replication is crucial. On the one hand, the replication of the basic effect within a study is necessary for demonstrating experimental control. On the other hand, replication across studies is required for establishing the generality of the intervention effect. Moreover, the “replicability crisis...

Visual analysis of single-case research is commonly described as a gold standard, but it is often unreliable. Thus, an objective tool for applying visual analysis is necessary, as an alternative to the Conservative Dual Criterion, which presents some drawbacks. The proposed free web-based tool enables assessing change in trend and level between two...

Changing criterion designs (CCD) are single-case experimental designs that entail a step-by-step approximation of the final level desired for a target behavior. Following a recent review on the desirable methodological features of CCDs, the current text focuses on an analytical challenge: the definition of an objective rule for assessing the corres...

We developed a reporting guideline to provide authors with guidance about what should be reported when writing a paper for publication in a scientific journal using a particular type of research design: the single-case experimental design. This report describes the methods used to develop the single-case reporting guideline in behavioural intervent...

Anger outbursts constitute a frequent behavioural issue after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and have a strong negative impact on the social outcomes resulting from the TBI. However, few studies have examined the efficacy of specific intervention strategies to reduce the frequency and intensity of anger outbursts. We therefore performed a single-ca...

Multilevel modeling is an approach that can be used to summarize single-case experimental design (SCED) data. Multilevel models were developed to analyze hierarchical structured data with units at a lower level nested within higher level units. SCEDs use time series data collected from multiple cases (or subjects) within a study that allow research...

Goal-directed behaviour (GDB), the capacity that allows us to control our environment according to our desires and needs, requires different stages from initial intention to goal achievement. Although GDB is frequently disrupted after acquired brain injury, few studies have addressed the remediation of reduced GDB in patients with severe brain inju...

Objective: Metacognitive therapy and one of its treatment components, the attention training technique, are increasingly being delivered to improve mental health. We examined the efficacy of metacognitive therapy and/or attention training technique on mental health outcomes from single-case studies. Method: A total of 14 studies (53 patients) we...

Alternating treatments designs (ATDs) are single-case experimental designs entailing the rapid alternation of conditions, and the specific sequence of conditions is usually determined at random. The visual analysis of ATD data entails comparing the data paths formed by connecting the measurements from the same condition. Apart from visual analyses,...

Changing criterion designs (CCD) are single-case experimental designs making possible the gradual approximation to the final level desired for a target behavior. The current focus is on the analytical challenges presented by CCDs, after recent emphasis on their desirable methodological features. We review (a) recommendations regarding how experimen...

The current text comments on three systematic reviews published in the special section Issues and Advances in the Systematic Review of Single-Case Research: An Update and Exemplars. The commentary is provided in relation to the need to combine the assessment of the methodological quality of the studies included in systematic reviews, the assessment...

Single-case experimental designs meeting evidence standards are useful for identifying empirically-supported practices. Part of the research process entails data analysis, which can be performed both visually and numerically. In the current text, we discuss several statistical techniques focusing on the descriptive quantifications that they provide...

The frequently used visual analysis of single-case data focuses on data aspects such as level, trend, variability, overlap, immediacy of effect, and consistency of data patterns; most of these aspects are also commonly quantified besides inspecting them visually. The present text focuses on trend, because even linear trend can be operatively define...

Observational studies entail making several decisions before data collection, such as the observational design to use, the sampling of sessions within the observational period, the need for time sampling within the observation sessions, as well as the observation recording procedures to use. The focus of the present article is on observational reco...

The current text provides advice on the content of an article reporting a single-case design research. The advice is drawn from several sources, such as the Single-case research in behavioral sciences reporting guidelines, developed by an international panel of experts, scholarly articles on reporting, methodological quality scales, and the author'...

The influence of leadership on work-life balance (WLB) is becoming a major issue in the world of work. There is little literature on the relationship between leadership style and WLB at international level. The aim of this research is to examine the association between different types of leadership and WLB and whether there are cross-cultural diffe...

Prompting-based memory compensation is a potential application for smartwatches. This study investigated the usability and efficacy of a Moto360 smartwatch as a memory aid. Four community dwelling adults with memory difficulties following acquired brain injury (ABI) were included in an A-B-A single case experimental design study. Performance of eve...

This document includes the URLs to free web-based applications developed using Shiny. These applications refer to several of the most commonly used and discussed single-case data analysis procedures: regression analyses, nonoverlap indices, and mean difference indices, as well as indices proposed by our research team (Slope and level change & Mean...

The present paper aims to present a series of software developments in the quantitative analysis of data obtained via single-case experimental designs (SCEDs), as well as the tutorial describing these developments. The tutorial focuses on software implementations based on freely available platforms such as R and aims to bring statistical advances c...

We developed a reporting guideline to provide authors with guidance about what should be reported when writing a paper for publication in a scientific journal using a particular type of research design: the single-case experimental design. This report describes the methods used to develop the Single-Case Reporting guideline In BEhavioural intervent...

We developed a reporting guideline to provide authors with guidance about what should be reported when writing a paper for publication in a scientific journal using a particular type of research design: the single-case experimental design. This report describes the methods used to develop the Single-Case Reporting guideline In BEhavioural intervent...

Reporting guidelines, such as the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement, improve the reporting of research in the medical literature (Turner et al., 2012). Many such guidelines exist, and the CONSORT Extension to Nonpharmacological Trials (Boutron et al., 2008) provides suitable guidance for reporting between-groups interve...

We developed a reporting guideline to provide authors with guidance about what should be reported when writing a paper for publication in a scientific journal using a particular type of research design: the single-case experimental design. This report describes the methods used to develop the Single-Case Reporting guideline In BEhavioural intervent...

Unlabelled: We developed a reporting guideline to provide authors with guidance about what should be reported when writing a paper for publication in a scientific journal using a particular type of research design: the single-case experimental design. This report describes the methods used to develop the Single-Case Reporting guideline In BEhaviou...

Reporting guidelines, such as the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement, improve the reporting of research in the medical literature (Turner et al., 2012). Many such guidelines exist and the CONSORT Extension to Nonpharmacological Trials (Boutron et al., 2008) provides suitable guidance for reporting between-groups interven...

Background and aims: Balint's Syndrome is a rare condition, often associated with hypoxic brain damage. The major characteristic is an inability to localise objects in space, another is simultanagnosia frequently resulting in reading difficulties. We present RN, a 37 year old woman whose major problem with reading was her inability to recognise in...

We developed a reporting guideline to provide authors with guidance about what should be reported when writing a paper for publication in a scientific journal using a particular type of research design: the single-case experimental design. This report describes the methods used to develop the Single-Case Reporting guideline In BEhavioural intervent...

We developed a reporting guideline to provide authors with guidance about what should be reported when writing a paper for publication in a scientific journal using a particular type of research design: the single-case experimental design. This report describes the methods used to develop the Single-Case Reporting guideline In BEhavioural intervent...

The current paper responds to the need to provide guidance to applied single-case researchers regarding the possibilities of data analysis. The amount of available single-case data analytical techniques has been growing during recent years and a general overview, comparing the possibilities of these techniques, is missing. Such an overview is provi...

Scientific abstract: Reporting guidelines, such as the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement, improve the reporting of research in the medical literature (Turner et al., 2012). Many such guidelines exist and the CONSORT Extension to Nonpharmacological Trials (Boutron et al., 2008) provides suitable guidance for reporting b...

Reporting guidelines, such as the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement, improve the reporting of research in the medical literature (Turner et al., 2012). Many such guidelines exist and the CONSORT Extension to Nonpharmacological Trials (Boutron et al., 2008) provides suitable guidance for reporting between-groups interven...

The current paper is a call for and illustration of a way of closing the gap between basic research and professional practice in the field of neurorehabilitation. Methodologically, single-case experimental designs and the guidelines created regarding their conduct are highlighted. Statistically, we review two data analytical options, namely (a) ind...

Two-phase single-case designs, including baseline evaluation followed by an intervention, represent the most clinically straightforward option for combining professional practice and research. However, unless they are part of a multiple-baseline schedule, such designs do not allow demonstrating a causal relation between the intervention and the beh...

The preset tutorial is focused on the software implementations (main based on the freely available R) of analytical techniques created or adapted for data gathered using single-case designs. Step-by-step guidance is provided regarding how to obtain and use the software and how to interpret its result, although the interested reader is referred to t...

In this paper we reflect on the numerous calls for the development of benchmarks for interpreting effect size indices, reviewing several possibilities. Such benchmarks are aimed to provide criteria so that analysts can judge whether the size of the effect o bserved is rather “small”, “medium” or “large”. The context of this discussion is single-cas...

Data analysis for single-case designs is an issue that has prompted many researchers to propose a variety of alternatives, including use of randomisation tests, regression-based procedures, and standardised mean difference. Another option consists in computing unstandardised or raw differences between conditions: the changes in slope and in level,...

Single-case data analysis still relies heavily on visual inspection, and, at the same time, it is not clear to what extent the results of different quantitative procedures converge in identifying an intervention effect and its magnitude when applied to the same data; this is the type of evidence provided here for two procedures. One of the procedur...

Self-developed R code for single-case data analysis: Accompanied by the tutorial "Single-case data analysis: Software resources for applied researchers". The remaining code, created by other authors is located as specified in the tutorial

In the context of the evidence-based practices movement, the emphasis on computing effect sizes and combining them via meta-analysis does not preclude the demonstration of functional relations. For the latter aim, we propose to augment the visual analysis to add consistency to the decisions made on the existence of a functional relation without los...

In this editorial discussion we reflect on the issues addressed by, and arising from, the papers in this special issue on Single-Case Experimental Design (SCED) study methodology. We identify areas of consensus and disagreement regarding the conduct and analysis of SCED studies. Despite the long history of application of SCEDs in studies of interve...