More problems with experiments

Question 1

Demand characteristics

Answer 1

A cue which results in the participants becoming aware of the aims of the study or helps participants to work out what the researcher expects to find.

Question 2

Investigator effect (investigator or experimental bias)

Answer 2

Cues (other than the IV) from an investigator that encourage certain behaviors in the participant, and which might lead to a fulfilment of the investigator’s expectations.

Question 3

What is a direct effect of an Investigator effect?

Answer 3

A investigator interacting with a participant

Question 4

What is an indirect effect of an investigator effect?

Answer 4

A consequence of the investigator designing the study

Question 5

What is the ‘screw you’ effect?

Answer 5

Where a participant deliberately behaves in a way that spoils an experiment

Question 6

How could demand characteristics effect a study?

Answer 6

They may act as extraneous or confounding variables.

Question 7

How could Investigator effects effect a study?

Answer 7

Can act as confounding or extraneous variables.

Question 8

What is the ‘investigator experimental design effect’?

Answer 8

Where the investigator may operationalise the measurement of variables in such a way that the desired result is more likely, or may limit the duration of the study for the same reason.

Question 9

What is the ‘investigator loose procedure effect’?

Answer 9

The situation where a investigator may not clearly specify the standardised procedures which leaves room for the results to be influenced by the experimenter.

Question 10

How could you reduce the effect of demand characteristics and investigator effects?

Answer 10

Single blind design
Double blind design
Experimental realism

Question 11

What is a single blind design?

Answer 11

The participant is not aware of the researchers aims and/or which condition of the experiment they are recieving

Question 12

How does a single blind design reduce the chances of demand characteristics?

Answer 12

It prevents the participants from seeking cues about the aims of the experiment

Question 13

What is a double blind design?

Answer 13

Both the participant and the person conducting the experiment is ‘blind’ to the aims and hypotheses.

Question 14

How does a double blind design reduce the chances of demand characteristics?

Answer 14

The person conducting the investigation is less likely to produce cues about what they expect.

Question 15

What is experimental realism?

Answer 15

When the researcher makes the task engaging enough that the participant pays attention to the task and not the fact that they are being observed.

Question 16

What are participant variables?

Answer 16

Any characteristic of individual participants.

Question 17

In what experimental design do participant variables become extraneous variables.

Answer 17

independent groups design

Question 18

What do participant variables include?

Answer 18

Age
Sex
Intelligence
Motivation
Experience
etc...

Question 19

What are situation variables?

Answer 19

Features of a research situation that may influence participants’ behavior and thus act as extraneous variables or confounding variables.