Doug is conducting a study of gender differences in conversation dyads.He decides to sit in the student center and watch male/male dyads versus female/female dyads.He believes that the distance between the female/female dyads will be much smaller than that between the male/male dyads.When collecting the data,he notes all cases that fit his hypothesis but tends to "miss" most cases that do not fit his hypothesis.Doug's data collection behavior illustrates the pitfall of
A)expectancy effects.
B)reactivity.
C)expectancy syndrome.
D)experimenter blindness.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Expectancy effects occur when the researcher's expectations about the results of a study influence their actions and interpretations, leading to a confirmation bias in data collection. In this case, Doug's hypothesis that female/female dyads will have a smaller distance between them may have led him to selectively observe and record data that fit his hypothesis, while ignoring or minimizing data that contradicted it. This is a form of expectancy bias, which can distort research findings and weaken the validity of the study.

Doug Is Conducting a Study of Gender Differences in Conversation