ABSTRACT

This chapter describes multiple baselines and multiple probe designs and their use by applied researchers investigating the effectiveness of a wide range of interventions in educational and clinical settings. It discusses how baseline logic applies to this class of designs, and how threats to internal validity are evaluated. The chapter presents guidelines for their use, discussing advantages and limitations of both designs. It provides an overview of the three types of multiple baseline and multiple probe designs: across behaviors, across conditions, and across participants. Multiple baseline designs have the research benefit of continuous measurement prior to and during intervention, thereby allowing day-to-day data analyses and decisions. Multiple baseline and multiple probe designs are better suited to many of the practical demands of applied settings than are A-B-A-B designs. When using a multiple baseline or multiple probe design across behaviors, identify a minimum of three similar yet functionally independent behaviors emitted by one individual.