What term describes biases from participant or experimenter expectations that can bias results?

What term describes biases from participant or experimenter expectations that can bias results?

• A. Expectation effects
• B. Confounding variables
• C. Reliability
• D. Ethics in psychology

Answer: (A)

Biases that arise when what researchers or participants expect ends up shaping the outcomes are called expectation effects. This happens when an experimenter’s beliefs about which group should perform better subtly influence how they interact with participants, score responses, or interpret ambiguous data. Subtle cues like tone of voice, body language, or differential encouragement can cue participants to respond in a way that confirms those expectations, so the observed effect may reflect expectancy rather than the actual manipulation. Participants can also be influenced by hints about the study’s purpose, leading them to guess the hypothesis and respond accordingly, a phenomenon known as demand characteristics. This combination of cues from both sides can systematically bias results. To reduce this, researchers use methods like blinding, standardized procedures, and neutral data collection. The other terms describe different issues: confounding variables are extraneous factors linked to the manipulation, reliability refers to consistency of measurement, and ethics concerns the guidelines for conducting research responsibly.

Biases that arise when what researchers or participants expect ends up shaping the outcomes are called expectation effects. This happens when an experimenter’s beliefs about which group should perform better subtly influence how they interact with participants, score responses, or interpret ambiguous data. Subtle cues like tone of voice, body language, or differential encouragement can cue participants to respond in a way that confirms those expectations, so the observed effect may reflect expectancy rather than the actual manipulation. Participants can also be influenced by hints about the study’s purpose, leading them to guess the hypothesis and respond accordingly, a phenomenon known as demand characteristics. This combination of cues from both sides can systematically bias results. To reduce this, researchers use methods like blinding, standardized procedures, and neutral data collection. The other terms describe different issues: confounding variables are extraneous factors linked to the manipulation, reliability refers to consistency of measurement, and ethics concerns the guidelines for conducting research responsibly.