Assessing Nonoverlap in Single-Case Data: Strengths, Challenges, and Recommendations

Abstract

Overlap is one of the data aspects that are expected to be assessed when visually inspecting single-case experimental designs (SCED) data. A frequently used quantification of overlap is the Nonoverlap of All Pairs (NAP). The current article reviews the main strengths and challenges when using this index, as compared to other nonoverlap indices such as Tau and the Percentage of data points exceeding the median. Four challenges are reviewed: the difficulty in representing NAP graphically, the presence of a ceiling effect, the disregard of trend, and the limitations in using p-values associated with NAP. Given the importance of complementing quantitative analysis and visual inspection of graphed data, straightforward quantifications and new graphical elements for the time-series plot are proposed as options for addressing the first three challenges. The suggestions for graphical representations (representing within-phase monotonic trend and across-phases overlaps) and additional numerical summaries (quantifying the degree of separation in case of complete nonoverlap or the proportion of data points in the overlap zone) are illustrated with two multiple-baseline data sets. To make it easier to obtain the plots and quantifications, the recommendations are implemented in a freely available user-friendly website. Educational researchers can use this article to inform their use and application of NAP to meaningfully interpret this quantification in the context of SCEDs.