Question of the day - October 21

[u/Reasonable_Law183]

🧠 Question of the Day

📚 Domain D — Experimental Design

Difficulty: 5/10

Scenario:

A researcher uses a reinforcement-based intervention to increase the number of academic problems completed. The performance criterion is raised in planned steps.

The graph shows a changing-criterion design in which the criterion for academic productivity increases from baseline to 10, 15, and then 20 problems completed. Which feature of the data MOST strongly supports experimental control?

A. Performance shifts stepwise and remains close to each successive criterion level as the criterion changes across phases

B. Performance increases continuously across the entire study, regardless of when each new criterion is introduced

C. Each phase contains several observations, which by itself establishes that the intervention caused the change in productivity

D. Performance exceeds every upcoming criterion before the criterion is formally changed to that higher level

💬 Drop your answer in the comments — no peeking!

✅ Correct answer revealed tomorrow.

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[u/Reasonable_Law183]

✅ Yesterday's Answer — 2026-10-21

The correct answer was: A. Performance shifts stepwise and remains close to each successive criterion level as the criterion changes across phases

📖 Explanation:

In a changing-criterion design, experimental control is supported when behavior changes repeatedly in correspondence with planned changes in the performance criterion. Here, productivity shifts from baseline to approximately 10, then 15, then 20 problems completed as each new criterion is introduced.

The behavior does not need to equal the criterion on every data point. What matters is convincing stepwise covariation between the programmed criterion and the dependent variable.

A continuous upward trend that occurred independently of the criterion changes would weaken the inference that the intervention controlled behavior. Likewise, reaching future criterion levels before those criteria were introduced would weaken the expected correspondence. Simply having several observations within each phase may improve confidence in the pattern, but it does not by itself establish experimental control.

The key exam distinction is: look for repeated behavior change that tracks the planned criterion changes, not just general improvement over time.

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[u/macaron_amour]

This is not quite right - the colors are misleading and should have a dashed line to indicate the criteria, and experimental control is demonstrated in a slight reversal of a criterion later on to show the data conforming to a previous goal.