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The Relationship Between Participant & Investigator

Learn how the relationship between the researcher and participant can influence study outcomes, threatening validity. Understand types of investigator effects like experimenter behavior and expectancy effects. Discover ways to deal with issues such as demand characteristics and bias.

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The Relationship Between Participant & Investigator

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  1. The Relationship Between Participant & Investigator • Many investigations create a social situation involving both researcher and participant • This relationship can affect the outcome of the study, threatening validity • Investigator effects • Demand characteristics psychlotron.org.uk

  2. Types of Investigator Effect • Experimenter behaviour effects • Experimenters react to PPs as people (and PPs react to experimenters) • Behaviour of experimenter may affect attitude of PPs towards the task • E.g. conveying dislike for some PPs, conveying impression that a task is difficult etc. may affect motivation psychlotron.org.uk

  3. Types of Investigator Effect • Expectancy effects • The investigator has an idea of what outcome to expect in a study • (1) They may be biased in the observations they make, being more disposed to see things that are in line with expectations • (2) They may communicate their expectations to the PPs psychlotron.org.uk

  4. Types of Investigator Effect • Demand characteristics • Cues that the participants use to work out the experimental aim • They may alter their behaviour as a result either: • (1) in line with expectation (pleasing the experimenter) • (2) away from expectation (’screw you’; Masling, 1966) psychlotron.org.uk

  5. Sources of Demand Characteristics • Poor research design decisions • E.g. exposing pps to knowledge of both conditions when it’s important they don’t know what the IV is • Researcher behaviour/expectancy • E.g. unintentional reinforcement of desired responses psychlotron.org.uk

  6. Dealing with Issues • Pilot the procedure • Get feedback from pilot pps • Did they understand everything? • Did they realise what the aim was? • Did they pick up on any particular aspects of the researcher’s behaviour? psychlotron.org.uk

  7. Dealing with Issues • Standardise everything • I.e. ensure it is exactly the same for all the PPs • Instructions given • Procedures followed psychlotron.org.uk

  8. Dealing with Issues • Single blind procedure (standard) • Prevent pps from finding out what the aim is • Problem: can never be sure the researcher won’t give cues • Double blind procedure • Prevent pps from being cued at all by employing a researcher to carry out the procedures who does not know the aim of the research psychlotron.org.uk

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