Good Alternating Treatment Designs Essay Example

ALTERNATING TREATMENT DESIGNS

Introduction
The essay covers the reduction of the number of the calories consumed in an effort to lose weight. The reason for the study is because of the rapid effect that calorie-consumption has on weight. The national outcry of obesity among children in the United States, and the attempt to control obesity by reducing the number of calories they consume. Another important strategy is the engagement of the children in more physical activities to increase the burning out of the calories consumed. The design of research is the use of “Alternating Designs without Baselines,”
The research deign in focus is the use of alternating treatments without baseline. The use of the method is time-saving yet productive. The method is quick and it is possible to implement it immediately. The only baseline data that is required is the “No Treatment Phase,” that should be compared to the treatment phase. It also uses randomizing that ensures that the order effects are avoided.

Alternative treatments without Baseline

Alternating treatment involves the application of more than one treatment to a subject and determining their effect on a particular behavior. In this case, the reduction of calorie consumption and an increase in physical activity are used to determine their effectiveness on weight loss.

How would the treatments be an improvement over the multiple baseline method?

Alternating designs ensure that the subject is not left to suffer the effects of their behavioral defect as in the case of withdrawal. In addition to that, it ensures that different variables are measured at the same time. The designs are more realistic as compared to the multiple design methods whereby the treatments are introduced to particular problems assuming that they are independent of each other. Thus, it is more accurate in the determination of the effects of certain treatments on a person’s behavior without possible inaccurate assumptions.
Multiple baseline designs involve the introduction of treatment variables are introduced at given times. However, the standard number of baselines required to get maximum results is not clearly put. The most common are three to five baselines. The multiple baseline designs allow the observation of several behaviors simultaneously. However, the extent of the effectiveness of a particular treatment is not easily determined by the multiple baseline method. Such designs help in determining the exact time in which behavioral change occurs.

How do ethical concerns influence the different alternating treatment designs used by researchers?

Among the ethical considerations needed in the application of alternative treatments without baseline include the certainty that the interaction of the two treatments shall not have any negative effects on the patient . In addition to that, new treatment methods that have not been tested on other people before should not be experimented with on a patient.
The use of Baseline designs followed by alternating designs should not be carried out in cases where the target behavior is self-destructive. In addition to that, it is unacceptable to continue the use of Baseline designs followed by alternating treatments whereby the effects are counter therapeutic.
For instance, parents may consider the combination of the reduction of calorie consumption among children while at the same time pushing them to engage in physical activities may be detrimental to them because of the lack of energy. The researcher may not also always get environmental cooperation. That happens in cases where procedures are considered to be aversive by the parents, teachers or the authorities in charge. Thus, ethical concerns limit the extent of the experiments.
In instances whereby the authorities should be well informed about the exact procedures to be applied and their potential effects. In cases where previous studies have been conducted, the outcomes of the studies should be shared with the authorities in order to gain their trust. An agreement may also be reached as to the amount of calories that should be accorded to the school going children, and the types of physical exercise they should engage in.
In a school setting, all the students should be required to actively participate during physical exercise lessons whereby the teachers should follow up on the involvement. In addition to that, controlling the consumption of food and snacks should be implemented in schools whereby the students should exclusively consume the food provided at schools. In case it is a clinical setting, the food that the patients consume should be standardized and monitored, whereas the physiotherapy sessions are made mandatory for all the able patients.
The ethical, social cultural and legal considerations of a population affect the type of alternating treatment methods applied to the patients. In many communities, therapy is expected to yield positive results. In cases where it is experimental, negative effects are completely unacceptable. Thus, the use of gathering of a baseline followed by alternating treatment designs is highly disfavored.
In conclusion, the use of alternating treatment designs is an effective and favorable method of research. It does not involve the withdrawal of treatment. The method involves the use of another treatment on top of another to determine their effect on the same condition. There are a number of ethical and legal considerations that hinder some of the designs, but it is the most favorable so far.

References

Richards, S., Taylor, R., & Ramasamy, R. (2013). Single subject research: Applications in educational and clinical settings. Boston: Cengage Learning.