switchback design
a type of within-subjects design in which participants are assigned to multiple experimental conditions in a specific pattern that controls for personal and time-related variations that may influence individuals’ responses. For example, suppose a researcher is investigating the effect of three types of instruction (A, B, and C) on the performance of six participants, each of whom has a different learning curve. A switchback arrangement for such a study might be
A C B A C B
C B A B A C
A C B A C B
C B A B A C
Each row represents a distinct time period and each column represents a specific participant, with only two instruction types switching back and forth for any given participant.