A researcher thinks that a person's mood has an effect on how helpful that person is likely to be.To test this,the researcher has participants come to the laboratory where they are first given a difficult test and then either heavily praised or strongly criticized for their test performance.As it happens,the researcher has one of two research assistants,one who is a bit rude and the other more friendly,running each participant through the experimental procedure.After the praise or critical feedback,each participant is asked to help the research assistant in moving some heavy boxes into another room.The researcher observes how many boxes each participant moves in helping the research assistant.One possible confound for this experiment is ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The attitude of the assistant, whether they are rude or friendly, could also affect the participant's willingness to help and their mood, and thus confound the results of the study. It is important to control for this variable by having both assistants behave consistently throughout the experiment. The other options listed (notes and observations, participant mood, attendance, number of boxes the assistant moved) are not likely to be significant confounds in this particular experiment.

A Researcher Thinks That a Person's Mood Has an Effect