Evaluating Operational Definitions Heath participated in a study of the effect of meditation on blood pressure.Since he had never used a self-inflating cuff, he was afraid that the cuff would keep inflating and cut off blood to his arm.This fear caused his blood pressure to rise when he was measured during the pretest phase of the experiment.The experimenter also measured Heath's blood pressure after meditation training during the posttest phase.Since he was now used to the self-inflating cuff, his blood pressure was lower due to lack of panic.Based on Heath's experience, a ____ threat may have confounded this experiment.
A)history
B)maturation
C)selection
D)testing

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The testing threat may have confounded the experiment, as Heath's fear or panic during the pretest phase could have artificially elevated his blood pressure, while his familiarity with the cuff during the posttest phase could have led to artificially lower blood pressure readings. The other threats (history, maturation, and selection) are not relevant to Heath's experience with the self-inflating cuff.

Evaluating Operational Definitions Heath Participated in a Study of the Effect