In previous studies, Dr. Schulenberg has established that finding meaning in one's everyday work activities can lead to greater success in the workplace (e.g., productivity, creativity). He is curious as to whether this can happen in the college classroom. Specifically, he is curious whether finding meaning in one's classroom experience can lead to greater academic performance. In the spring semester, he has his teaching assistant randomly assign half the class to write a paragraph each class period about how the material has meaning for their lives (meaning group). The other half writes a paragraph about what they did to prepare for class (preparation group). He does not know which of his students are writing which paragraph, and the students are not aware they are responding to different writing assignments. To measure academic performance, he gives the students a midterm essay exam and a final exam.
Dr) Schulenberg likely designed his study so that neither he nor his students knew which group they were in to address which of the following?
A)Placebo effects
B)Attrition
C)Demand characteristics
D)Maturation

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Dr. Schulenberg likely designed his study so that neither he nor his students knew which group they were in to address demand characteristics. Demand characteristics occur when participants in a study change their behavior because they know they are being studied or because they believe they know the hypothesis being tested. By keeping the writing assignments a secret from both himself and his students, Dr. Schulenberg minimizes the likelihood of demand characteristics affecting his results. The other options (placebo effects, attrition, and maturation) do not apply to the design of this study.

In Previous Studies, Dr