Dr. Tomero asks his graduate students to code his interview tapes for the appearance of micro-expressions. If one of his graduate students believes that she sees disgust, while another rates the same micro-expression as sadness, what type of error should Dr. Tomero be concerned with?
A) random error
B) social desirability error
C) observer bias
D) demand characteristics

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Observer bias refers to the tendency for observers to see what they expect to see or what they want to see rather than what is actually there. In this case, the two graduate students may have different expectations or personal biases that are influencing their ratings of the micro-expression, leading to differing results.

Dr Tomero Asks His Graduate Students to Code His Interview