The participants in the Crum and Langer hotel experiment were not individually assigned to the experimental or control group. Instead, each hotel was randomly assigned to one of the two conditions. What was the reason for this?
A) There was a potential confounding variable because if the housekeeping staff at a particular hotel were assigned to two different conditions, they might talk to each other about what they had been told.
B) The experimenters were trying to avoid the demand characteristics associated with recruiting participants for a natural experiment.
C) The researchers wanted to avoid a potential confounding variable related to practice effects.
D) There was a potential confounding variable because if the housekeeping staff at a particular hotel were assigned to two different conditions there would be intense competition between them to improve productivity at the hotel.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Randomly assigning each hotel to the experimental or control group ensures that all participants within a particular hotel are exposed to the same condition. If individuals within a hotel were split between conditions, they may communicate with each other and potentially introduce a confounding variable. By assigning the entire hotel, this potential issue is avoided.

The Participants in the Crum and Langer Hotel Experiment Were