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Review
. 2021 Sep;54(4):1317-1340.
doi: 10.1002/jaba.862. Epub 2021 Jul 5.

Meta-analyses and effect sizes in applied behavior analysis: A review and discussion

Art Dowdy  1 , Corey Peltier  2 , Matt Tincani  1 , W Joel Schneider  3 , Donald A Hantula  4 , Jason C Travers  1
Affiliations
Review

Meta-analyses and effect sizes in applied behavior analysis: A review and discussion

Art Dowdy et al. J Appl Behav Anal. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

For more than four decades, researchers have used meta-analyses to synthesize data from multiple experimental studies often to draw conclusions that are not supported by individual studies. More recently, single-case experimental design (SCED) researchers have adopted meta-analysis techniques to answer research questions with data gleaned from SCED experiments. Meta-analyses enable researchers to answer questions regarding intervention efficacy, generality, and condition boundaries. Here we discuss meta-analysis techniques, the rationale for their adaptation with SCED studies, and current indices used to quantify the effect of SCED data in applied behavior analysis.

Keywords: effect size; evidence-based practices; meta-analysis; research synthesis; single-case research design; treatment boundaries.

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References

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