Component Analyses Using Single‐subject Experimental Designs: A Review

Abstract

A component analysis is a systematic assessment of 2 or more independent variables or components that comprise a treatment package. Component analyses are important for the analysis of behavior; however, previous research provides only cursory descriptions of the topic. Therefore, in this review the definition of component analysis is discussed, and a notation system for evaluating the experimental designs of component analyses is described. Thirty articles that included a component analysis were identified via a literature search. The majority of the studies successfully identified a necessary component; however, most of these studies did not evaluate the sufficiency of the necessary component. The notation system may be helpful in developing experimental designs that best suit the purpose of studies aimed at conducting component analyses of treatment packages.

Optimizing behavioral health interventions with single-case designs: from development to dissemination

“…The analysis consisted of four components: functional analysis of pain behavior (e.g., selfmonitoring of pain and the conditions that precede and follow pain), progressive relaxation training, assertion training, and social reinforcement of increased activity. Sanders concluded that both relaxation training and reinforcement of activity were necessary components (see [69] for a discussion of some limitations of this study).…”

“…COMPONENT ANALYSIS A component analysis is "any experiment designed to identify the active elements of a treatment condition, the relative contributions of different variables in a treatment package, and/or the necessary and sufficient components of an intervention" [69]. Behavioral health interventions often entail more than one potentially active treatment element.…”

“…Given that most interventions seek to produce sustained changes in healthrelated behavior, dropout analyses may have limited applicability. Instead, in add-in analyses, components can be assessed individually and/or in combination before the full treatment package is assessed [69]. Thus, a researcher could conduct an ABACAD design, where A is baseline, B and C are the individual components, and D is the combination of the two B and C components.…”

“…If they are not, then the effects are multiplicative, or the effects of one component depend on the presence of another component. Figure 3 presents simplified examples of these two possibilities using a reversal design and short data streams (adapted from [69]). The panel on the left shows additive effects, and the panel on the right shows multiplicative effects.…”

The effects of real-time visual performance feedback on teacher feedback.

“…In some cases, researchers made conclusions specifically about the effects of performance feedback when the design would only allow conclusions about the entire treatment package. In these cases, component analyses are necessary to determine which treatment components are necessary for an effect and to make conclusions about the role of performance feedback in the treatment (see Ward-Horner & Sturmey, 2010).…”