Valentino is a health psychologist who is working on a campaign to encourage people to take the stairs instead of the elevator. He places posters in the elevators in his building. In one location the posters highlight the negative consequences of taking the elevator. In another location, the posters highlight the positive consequences of taking the stairs. He then measures how many people change their behavior at each location. What measure could Valentino include as a manipulation check?
A) a self-report of participants' typical level of physical activity
B) a questionnaire asking about the content of the poster in their location
C) informant measures of participants' activity level outside of work
D) measures of daily caloric intake

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To ensure that the posters were the key factor influencing behavior change, Valentino should include a measure to check whether the participants actually perceived and recalled the content of the posters. A questionnaire asking about the content of the poster in their location can serve as a manipulation check in this case, as it would show whether participants were aware of the messages on the posters and whether they were influenced by them. The other options, such as self-reports of physical activity or daily caloric intake, are not directly related to the manipulation of the posters and therefore would not serve as effective manipulation checks.

Valentino Is a Health Psychologist Who Is Working on a Campaign