Equating and Assigning Targets in the Adapted Alternating Treatments Design: Review of Special Education Journals. (February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cariveau, Tom; Helvey, Casey Irwin; Moseley, T. Kristina; Hester, Julie
• Is Part Of: Remedial and special education. Volume 43:Number 1(2022)
• Page Start: 58
• Page End: 71
• Publication Date: 2022-02
• Subjects: adapted alternating treatments design -- experimental design -- logical analysis -- single-case design; Special education -- Periodicals; Learning disabilities -- Periodicals; 371.905
• DOI: 10.1177/0741932521996071
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0741-9325

Abstract

The current review examined the prevalence of the adapted alternating treatments design (AATD) across 22 special education journals and methods to equate and assign target sets to experimental conditions in the AATD. Since the seminal description of the design in 1985, a total of 49 articles were published using the AATD across 12 of the reviewed journals. The most prominent methods of equating target sets differed from prior reviews of behavior-analytic journals, likely due to the preponderance of response chains being targeted in special education research using the AATD. The majority of articles describe at least one method for equating target sets, although multiple methods were common. Additional methodological strengths in this literature included methods to reduce potential bias when assigning target sets to experimental conditions and counterbalancing target sets across participants. Considerations for practitioners and researchers when using the AATD are described.