Molly's study examines the benefits of exercise on weight loss. In one group she advocates exercise as well as a new diet program. In the comparison group she only presents the diet program. Those in the comparison group find out that some of Molly's clients are in an exercise program too, so they form an exercise group. This is an example of
A) compensatory rivalry.
B) placebo effect.
C) treatment diffusion.
D) experimenter effects.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Treatment diffusion occurs when participants in a control group become aware of the treatment being given to the experimental group and incorporate it into their own behavior. In this case, the comparison group found out about the exercise program and formed their own exercise group, indicating treatment diffusion. Compensatory rivalry refers to a situation where participants in the control group work harder to compete with the experimental group, but this is not evident in the given scenario. Placebo effect refers to a psychological response to a treatment where a placebo is given instead of an active treatment, but there is no indication of placebo use in the given scenario. Experimenter effects refer to unintentional biases introduced by the experimenter, but this is also not evident in the given scenario.

Molly's Study Examines the Benefits of Exercise on Weight Loss