Professor Bobson conducted a psychological experiment on personality by administering questionnaires to subjects.Although the true nature of the experiment was supposed to be a secret,Professor Bobson always smiled when a subject checked the left boxes in the written questionnaire.As a result,subjects began to routinely check the left box.This potential problem can be described as the study's _____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that Professor Bobson's behavior (smiling) influenced the subjects' responses on the questionnaire suggests that they were exhibiting a demand characteristic. In other words, they were trying to figure out what the experimenter wanted or expected of them, and adjusted their behavior accordingly. This is a potential problem because it can compromise the accuracy and validity of the study's results. A confederate refers to someone who is part of the experiment and acts in a scripted role, so it is not applicable here. A third variable is an extraneous variable that is not being studied but could potentially affect the relationship between two other variables, so it is not applicable here either. The placebo effect refers to a phenomenon in which people's expectations or beliefs about a treatment influence their response to that treatment, so it is not applicable here as well.

Professor Bobson Conducted a Psychological Experiment on Personality by Administering