Another potential source of error is experimenter bias. Without realizing it, an experimenter can give subtle cues that tell subjects how they are expected to behave. If an experimenter smiles at subjects every time they give the predicted response, he or she might not be getting an accurate picture of the way the independent variable operates. One way to control for experimenter bias is the double-blind experiment, in which neither the experimenter nor the subjects know which treatment the subjects are getting. This approach enables the experimenter to measure the dependent variable more objectively.
Characteristics of experimenters and volunteer subjects, called personality variables, can also affect the results of experiments. Experimenters who are warm and friendly, for example, tend to produce more and better data from subjects than do experimenters who are hostile or authoritarian. We control for these variables by strictly adhering to our procedures and minimizing face-to-face contact with subjects. Levels of certain personality variables, like sociability and intelligence, tend to be higher in volunteer subjects than in nonvolunteers. This difference might decrease the external validity, or generalizability, of experiments using college student subjects.
Another potential source of error is experimenter bias. Without realizing it, an experimenter can give subtle cues that tell subjects how they are expected to behave. If an experimenter smiles at subjects every time they give the predicted response, he or she might not be getting an accurate picture of the way the independent variable operates. One way to control for experimenter bias is the double-blind experiment, in which neither the experimenter nor the subjects know which treatment the subjects are getting. This approach enables the experimenter to measure the dependent variable more objectively.
Characteristics of experimenters and volunteer subjects, called personality variables, can also affect the results of experiments. Experimenters who are warm and friendly, for example, tend to produce more and better data from subjects than do experimenters who are hostile or authoritarian. We control for these variables by strictly adhering to our procedures and minimizing face-to-face contact with subjects. Levels of certain personality variables, like sociability and intelligence, tend to be higher in volunteer subjects than in nonvolunteers. This difference might decrease the external validity, or generalizability, of experiments using college student subjects.
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