A researcher uses observation as a method to study gender differences in helping behaviors among preschool. The researcher expects to find more helping behaviors from girls and ends up observing more helping behaviors from girls than boys. This might be an example of ______.
A) benevolent sexism
B) biased theoretical model
C) observer effects
D) none of these

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an example of observer effects, which occur when the presence of an observer influences the behavior of those being observed. In this case, the researcher may have unintentionally influenced the behavior of the preschoolers or interpreted their behavior in a way that aligned with their expectations. It is not an example of benevolent sexism, which refers to attitudes or behavior that appear positive or protective towards women but are actually sexist, or a biased theoretical model, which would refer to a flawed or incomplete framework for understanding the research question.

A Researcher Uses Observation as a Method to Study Gender