When utilizing a Changing Criterion design it is important to hold off on raising the criterion
until previous recording is at a steady and stable level. Once this has been achieved a subtle
increase in criterion is put in place and the process repeated until full criterion expectations
are met. In a Withdrawal design you begin with applying an intervention, then removing the
intervention, and then you reapply the intervention, a B-A-B procedure. The goal of the
Withdrawal design is to see the effects of the behavior with and without intervention.
Withdrawal design is set up to determine the impact on the dependent variable. Does the
intervention impact the dependent variable or is there not effect. If there is an impact, then
what happens when we remove it? Does the intervention change the dependent variable in
the long term or only when the intervention is applied. Some dangers with Withdrawal
design are that withdrawal of the intervention can cause severe damage to the client
dependent on the situation it is applied in, for instance with substance abuse, sudden
withdrawal of the substance can cause mental and bodily harm to the individual.
Changing Criterion design is one of the least, yet most used interventions. Think of
schooling, while parts of a Changing Criterion design are not always utilized, from
elementary school to high school classrooms utilize a changing criterion design to educate.
First, we begin with simple addition, then we move to subtraction, now let’s go to double
digit addition and work on carrying over. The process of the education system regularly
moves the “benchmarks” to guide student into attempted mastery of subjects. Effective use
of a Changing Criterion design can be time consuming, as proper implementation requires
the first criterion to be stable before moving on to the next criterion, paired with the fact
that subtle changes are used, this design could take awhile before reaching full criterion.
References
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis. Pearson UK.
Klein, L. A., Houlihan, D., Vincent, J. L., & Panahon, C. J. (2017). Best Practices in Utilizing the
Changing Criterion Design. Behavior Analysis Practice, 10(1), 52-
61.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-014-0036-x
Richards, S. B. (2019). Single Subject Research: Applications in Educational Settings (3rd ed.).
Cengage Learning.
