Valentino is a health psychologist who is working on a campaign to encourage people to take the stairs instead of the elevator. He places information in the elevators in his building. In one location the information highlights the negative consequences of taking the elevator. In another location, the information highlights the positive consequences of taking the stairs. He then measures how many people change their behavior at each location. What measure could Valentino include as a manipulation check?
A) a self-report of participants' typical level of physical activity
B) a questionnaire asking about the content of the poster in their location
C) informant measures of participants' activity level outside of work
D) measures of daily caloric intake

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A manipulation check is a test used to determine if the experimental manipulation has the intended effect on the participants. In this case, asking participants about the content of the poster in their location (B) directly assesses whether they noticed and can recall the information presented, which is crucial for determining if the manipulation (information highlighting negative consequences of taking the elevator or positive consequences of taking the stairs) was effectively communicated.

Valentino Is a Health Psychologist Who Is Working on a Campaign