To test the ability of a racial tolerance program for police officers, an experimental researcher 'rides along' with police officers to observe how they interact with racial and ethnic minorities. What type of threat to the external validity of this experiment's results is this problem?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The problem described is an example of reactivity, which occurs when the subjects of an experiment change their behavior simply because they know they are being observed or studied. This can be a threat to external validity because it may alter the true behavior or interactions that occur in the absence of observation. Selection bias, on the other hand, occurs when the selection of participants for an experiment is not random or representative of the population of interest, which can also threaten external validity. However, this particular situation does not involve selection bias. Therefore, the best choice is A.

To Test the Ability of a Racial Tolerance Program for Police