According to Shaughnessy, Zechmeister and Zechmeister, 2009, “in applied behavior analysis the methods developed in the field of experimental behavior analysis are applied to socially relevant problems (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister & Zechmeister, 2009, p. 317).” In this article I will discuss some of these experimental methods used in applied research. First, I will discuss the similarities and differences between descriptive and inferential statistics and when they should be used. Additionally, I will explain the similarities and differences between single-case and small-case research designs. Additionally, I will explain when single-case and small-N research designs are used. Furthermore; I will look at real experiments and examine how they control for threats to internal validity. Additionally, I will examine how real experiments differ from experimental designs. Finally, in this article, I will discuss quasi-experiments by explaining their importance and how they differ from experimental designs. According to Shaughnessy, Zechmeister, and Zechmeister (2009), data analysis and statistics play an important role in the analysis and interpretation of experimental results. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics are both used to describe the results of an experiment. Additionally, they are used to confirm that an independent variable has an effect on behavior. Furthermore, both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics are used in the data analysis phases of an experiment. Furthermore, descriptive statistics is used in inferential statistics (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister & Zechmeister, 2009). There are differences between descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. For example, descriptive statistics are used to help discover how they control the internal validity of an experiment and how they differ from experimental designs. Finally, I discussed quasi-experiments by discussing their importance and examining how they differ from experimental designs. References Works Cited Aeschleman, Stanley, R. (1991). Single-subject research designs: Some misconceptions. Rehabilitation psychology. 36(1). Pp 43-49. Retrieved February 6, 2010, from the University of Phoenix Psychological Articles Database. Kazdin, Alan, E. (1978). Methodological and interpretative problems of single-case experimental designs. Journal of Counseling and Clinical Psychology. 46(4). Pp 629-642. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from the University of Phoenix Psychological Articles Database. Shaughnessy, J., Zechmeister, E., & Zechmeister, J., (2009). Research methods in psychology. (8th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. Chapters 7, 10, & 11.