Researchers often differentiate between mundane realism and experimental realism in the context of simulation (Aronson & Carlsmith, 1968). Mundane realism refers to the superficial, usually physical, characteristics of the simula- tion, which probably have little positive effect on external validity. For example, converting a research laboratory into a mock singles bar probably would not do much to promote “natural” behavior of participants. In fact, most participants would probably view the situation as phony and respond with artificial behav- iors. Experimental realism, on the other hand, concerns the psychological aspects of the simulation; that is, the extent to which the participants become immersed in the simulation and behave normally, unmindful of the fact that they are involved in an experiment. Obviously, a successful simulation is far more dependent on experimental realism than on mundane realism, and often the more mundane aspects of a simulation can be minimized or eliminated.