One of the problems of using a withdrawal design as part of a single-case experiment is the
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is it can be difficult to determine if changes are due to the intervention or other factors.
In a single-case experiment, the withdrawal design involves introducing a treatment or intervention and then removing it to observe the effects on behavior or outcomes. One of the main issues with this design is the challenge in attributing changes in the dependent variable directly to the intervention. If there is an observed change during the intervention phase, and then the behavior returns to baseline after the intervention is withdrawn, it can be hard to conclude that the treatment itself caused the change, rather than other factors.
This is particularly problematic when there are multiple variables that could influence the outcome, such as environmental factors, external events, or even natural variations in the behavior being studied. For example, if a patient shows improvement during the treatment phase and then reverts back when the treatment is withdrawn, it may not be clear whether the improvement was caused solely by the treatment, or by other external factors like changes in their routine or mood.
Furthermore, ethical considerations come into play when withdrawing an effective intervention. If the treatment is providing benefits, taking it away could have negative consequences for the participant, which raises concerns about the ethics of using this design in certain cases.
Another issue is that some behaviors or conditions might take a long time to stabilize after withdrawal, making it difficult to measure true effects in a short timeframe. Additionally, a withdrawal design does not necessarily help establish the long-term sustainability of the treatment’s effects after it is removed, which is a limitation when evaluating interventions in real-world settings.