Single-Case Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Single-Case Design - Essay Example In the context of this diversity, researchers should be cautious in selecting an appropriate research method. The Single case design method is considered a good example of human studies that has been so called because of the nature of human research and its use of individual samples i.e., only one or few numbers of participants. Gustav Fecner was the first scholar who has used Single case design in 1860 to develop the discipline of psychophysics. During the initial development of this design, Fecner conducted his research on only two participants (himself and his brother). According to Kerlinger and Lee (2000), Fecner is credited with inventing methods that are still used to measure sensory thresholds. According to Kerlinger and Lee (2000), I.P. Pavlov, through his use of this research design, did pioneering work on instrumental conditioning using dogs. Using single cases was the first step, which led to the development and expansion of this method. Single case design encompasses a s et of characteristics that distinguishes it from others. For example, single-case design, or single participant experimental design, is defined as a strategy by which control in experiments over one or just few participants is achieved. That is why the method is sometimes referred to as the N=1 design (Barker, Pistrang, & Elliott, 2002).