1. Which one of the following is an example of an expectation that can cause bias in an experiment? Explain why you think that is so (See instructions below).
a) Experimenter behaves inconsistently with participants
b) Participant wants to look good in the eyes of the experimenter
c) Experimenter is unaware of the hypothesis
d) Participant reads the hypothesis in the informed consent form
e) All of the above
Instructions: Make selection, provide a concept definition (text), and support your opinion on the selection with an example from research that illustrates the concept. Do so in a maximum of 250 words. Use credible and peer reviewed sources. Credible sources include course materials, University Library research that is peer reviewed, and Internet sites ending in .edu or .gov with with the one exception of research pulled from the www.apa.org site. If research is pulled from the APA site, use the www.apa.org
1. GIVE FEEDBACK ON THE PARAGRAPH LISTED BELOW 150-200 WORDS
1.Experimenter bias is something that can ruin all credibility in the outcomes of an experiment. Because experimenters are usually aware of the study that they have to do, they usually end up having certain expectations out of the study, creating experimenter bias or expectancy effects (Cozby 2015). Cozby uses an example in which he says a researcher is more likely to ask certain questions to participants in particular conditions, which would cause the outcome of the results to be biased (Cozby 2015). Personally, I think that experimenter bias is inevitable. The human mind is conditioned to have certain feelings that are associated with certain situations, so it is harder than people think to remove oneself from the research in order to produce objective results. In a study focusing on experimenter bias, a researcher studies how the selection of the participants have a direct effect on the bias that experiments have during the actual study; usually the bias begins in the selection process, with researchers choosing certain people who they feel will produce the greatest results (Forester 2000), therefore proving experimenter bias is inevitable.
Cozby, P. C., & Bates, S. C. (2015). Methods in Behavioral Research (12th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Forster, K. I. (2000). The potential for experimenter bias effects in word recognition experiments. Memory & Cognition, 28(7), 1109-1115.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kenneth_Forster/publication/12144818_The_potential_for_experimenter_bias_effects_in_word_recognition_experiments/links/0c960528e5baf73778000000.pdf
Conducting Experiments Chapter 8
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
· Distinguish between straightforward and staged manipulations of an independent variable.
· Describe the three types of dependent variables: self-report, behavioral, and physiological.
· Discuss sensitivity of a dependent variable, contrasting floor effects and ceiling effects.
· Describe ways to control participant expectations and experimenter expectations.
· List the reasons for conducting pilot studies.
· Describe the advantages of including a manipulation check in an experiment.
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THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS HAVE LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR PLANNING A RESEARCH INVESTIGATION. In this chapter, we will focus on some very practical aspects of conducting research. How do you select the research participants? What should you consider when deciding how to manipulate an independent variable? What should you worry about when you measure a variable? What do you do when the study is completed?
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