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Experimental Design 3: Demand Characteristics

Demand characteristics refer to cues given to participants that suggest how they should behave in an experiment. These cues can influence outcomes, as participants may consciously or unconsciously adjust their responses to align with perceived expectations. Examples include obvious manipulations or leading questions. Participants may react cooperatively, defensively, or noncooperatively based on these cues. To minimize their impact, researchers can use techniques like blind and double-blind designs, naturalistic observation, and neutral questioning. Understanding and controlling these characteristics is crucial for valid experimental results.

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Experimental Design 3: Demand Characteristics

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  1. Experimental Design 3:Demand Characteristics Martin Ch. 4

  2. Demand Characteristics • Definition: • Clues given to the participant about the point of the experiment • Examples: • Experiment title: The effects of horror movies on mood • Obvious manipulation: Ten psychology students looking straight up • Biased or leading questions: Don’t you think it’s bad to murder unborn children?

  3. Reactions to Demand Characteristics • Cooperative • “You seem like a nice person: I’ll help you get the right results” • Defensive • “I don’t want to look stupid/evil. I’ll do what a smart/good person is expected to do (rather than what I normally would do).” • Noncooperative • “This experiment is annoying. Let me screw up the results.”

  4. Sources of Demand Characteristic Effects • Societal values • Be cooperative, look smart, … • Experimenter expectancies • Consciously or unconsciously suggesting what outcomes are desired • Negative feelings about being in the experiment • Maybe as a result of previous bad experiences

  5. How to Test for the Effects of Demand Characteristics • Both positive + negative test questions • Include other tests of social compliance • See if these tests relate to performance • Post-experiment debriefing • Placebo control

  6. Placebo • What makes a good placebo? • Keep all the details the same, especially things the subject is likely to develop expectations about • When does the placebo effect work? • Cognitively penetrable processes

  7. How to Minimize Demand Characteristics • Automation • Blind and double-blind • Multiple experimenters • Naturalistic observation • Neutral test questions

  8. Demand CharacteristicsExample: Mental scanning rates • Cognitive penetrability

  9. Experiment validity examples • Course evaluation • Use course evaluation forms to see which version of a class is better • Evaluation of effective student behaviors • Use essay test scores and questionnaire to see which studying behaviors lead to better learning

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