RM: Problems with experiments & ways to deal with these problems!

Question 1

What are demand characturistics?

Answer 1

• A cue that makes participants unconsciously aware of the aims of a study or helps participants work out what the researcher expects to find.
• Participants want to be helpful and therefore pay attention to cues in the experimental situation that may guide their behaviour!

Question 2

Experimental demand characteristics

Answer 2

• In an experiment- participants are often unsure about what to do.
• They actively look for clues as to how they should behave in that situation. These clues are demand characteristics- which collectively convey the experimental hypothesis to participants!

Question 3

What are Investigator effects?

Answer 3

Any cues (other than the IV) from an investigator that encourage certain behaviours in the particpant, and which might lead to a fulfilment of the investigators expectations!

Question 4

What is an investigator experimental design effect?

Answer 4

The investiagtor 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 5

What is the investiator loose procedure effect?

Answer 5

Refers to situations where an investigator may not clearly specifiy the standardised instructions and/ or standardised procedures which leaves room for the results to be influences by the experimenter.

Question 6

What are the ways to deal with the problems in experiments?

Answer 6

• Single blind design
• Double blind design
• Experimental realism

Question 7

Single blind design?

Answer 7

• The participant is not aware of the research aims/ or of which condition of the experiment they are recieving.
• Prevents the participant from seeking cues about the aims and reacting to them.

Question 8

Double blind design?

Answer 8

Both the participant and the person conducting the experiment are “blind” to the aims and/ or hypotheses.

The person conducting is less likely to produce cues about what he/ she expects!

Question 9

Experimental realism?

Answer 9

If the researcher makes an experimental task sufficiently engaging -so the participant pays attention to the task and not the fact that they are being observed.