Suppose a researcher invites an individual participant to a sleep laboratory,but he refuses to fall asleep.Hours go by and the researcher cannot understand why the participant won't sleep.In the morning,a very tired participant asks if the real purpose of the study was to observe his reaction to having a rat in the bed with him.That the participant purposefully stayed awake thinking this was the nature of the study demonstrates
A)demand characteristics.
B)participant observation.
C)overt observation.
D)covert observation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The participant's behavior of intentionally staying awake due to the belief that the study was about observing his reaction to having a rat in the bed with him is an example of demand characteristics. This refers to the cues or expectations within an experiment that may influence participants' behavior unconsciously. In this case, the participant's belief about the nature of the study influenced his behavior, causing demand characteristics to occur.

Suppose a Researcher Invites an Individual Participant to a Sleep