A psychologist is concerned that a colleague's research is yielding a certain type of finding because the colleague expects that finding.The psychologist suspects the effect of:
A) need bias
B) self-fulfilling prophecy
C) predictive invalidity
D) achievement bias

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The situation described in the question is an example of a self-fulfilling prophecy, which occurs when a person's expectations influence their behavior in such a way that those expectations come true. In this case, the colleague's expectation of a particular finding may be leading them to inadvertently produce that outcome through their actions or interpretations of the data. Need bias refers to the tendency to interpret information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or desires, while achievement bias is a form of bias that occurs when researchers overemphasize the importance of positive results and ignore negative or null findings. Predictive invalidity is a term used to describe a situation where a test or measure is not effective at predicting or measuring the outcomes it was designed for. None of these concepts accurately describes the situation presented in the question.

A Psychologist Is Concerned That a Colleague's Research Is Yielding