18 Questions
What is a common personality trait found in volunteers participating in experiments, as per the text?
Sociability
What is a common weakness observed in participant-observer studies?
Difficulty in remaining objective and unbiased
Which of the following is NOT a personality trait mentioned in relation to volunteers participating in experiments?
Authoritarianism
In which type of experiment is it crucial to recruit subjects from the university population or outside randomly to avoid bias, as stated in the text?
Experiments with volunteer subjects
What is a key consideration that needs to be addressed before conducting observational research?
Potential contribution to psychological knowledge
Which ethical concern is raised regarding participant-observer studies?
Invading the privacy of others
Why is random subject selection important in experiments involving volunteer subjects?
To reduce experimenter bias
What does an archival study involve as a research method?
Reexamining existing records for new research purposes
Which of the following is a context variable mentioned in the text related to research procedures?
Subject pool recruitment
What can be a potential source of data for archival studies?
Records collected by government and private agencies
Which of the following is a common characteristic of people willing to volunteer for experiments according to the text?
Higher intelligence
Why do participant-observers gather qualitative data instead of using measurement techniques?
To provide a subjective account of their impressions
What is the primary purpose of running a double-blind experiment?
To control for experimenter bias
How does a warm and friendly experimenter affect subjects' responses?
Subjects are more likely to comply with the experimenter's demands
What is one of the key advantages of using volunteer subjects in experiments?
They may bring typical subject characteristics to the study
How do double-blind experiments help control demand characteristics?
By keeping both subjects and experimenters unaware of the treatment
What percentage of errors would be expected to support researchers' hypotheses if it were due to chance?
~50%
How does a cold and aloof experimenter affect subjects' behavior in experiments?
Subjects may exhibit compliance issues
Study Notes
Volunteer Subjects
- Volunteers in experiments tend to be more sociable and score higher in social desirability than non-volunteers (Crowne & Marlowe, 1964).
- Volunteers also tend to hold more liberal social and political attitudes and are less authoritarian than non-volunteers.
- On average, volunteers score higher on intelligence tests than non-volunteers.
Context Variables
- Context variables include subject recruitment, selection, and assignment procedures.
- Context variables can affect the results of an experiment, particularly when recruiting from a university population.
Experimenter Bias
- Experimenter bias can be controlled using double-blind experiments, where the subjects and experimenter are unaware of the treatment being received.
- Double-blind experiments can eliminate experimenter bias and the effects of demand characteristics.
Personality Variables
- An experimenter's personality can affect the results of an experiment, with a warm and friendly experimenter eliciting different responses than a cold and aloof one.
- Personality variables of experimental subjects, such as typical characteristics shared by volunteers, can also impact the results.
Participant-Observation Studies
- Participant-observer studies involve qualitative data gathering, often without systematic observation or measurement techniques.
- Weaknesses of participant-observer studies include difficulty in remaining objective and unbiased, and potential ethical concerns.
Archival Studies
- Archival studies involve re-examining existing records for a new purpose.
- Many opportunities for field research exist in existing data archives, such as government and private agency records, hospital records, and more.
Explore the concept of whether subjects in experiments are truly representative of the population based on research findings. Learn about how volunteers in experiments may exhibit certain personality traits, social attitudes, and intelligence levels compared to nonvolunteers.
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