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Based on the concept of demand characteristics, explain how the design of this study could unintentionally influence the participant's survey response.
Case context: A researcher is studying the impact of health risk awareness on attitudes. In the study, a participant is asked to read a passage detailing the severe risks of heart disease. Immediately after reading, the participant is given a questionnaire to measure their attitude toward exercise.
Question: Based on the concept of demand characteristics, explain how the design of this study could unintentionally influence the participant's survey response.
Sample answer: Measuring the participant's attitude toward exercise immediately after they read about heart disease risks acts as a subtle cue. The participant might reasonably infer that the researcher expects the passage to motivate healthy behaviors. As a result, they may systematically report a more favorable attitude toward exercise than they actually hold, in order to satisfy what they perceive to be the researcher's expectation.
Key points:
- The immediate timing of the attitude survey after the reading acts as an unintentional procedural cue.
- The participant deduces that the study's purpose is to improve attitudes toward exercise.
- The participant reports a more favorable attitude toward exercise to meet the perceived expectation.
Rubric: The answer must identify the timing of the measurement as the source of the demand characteristic. It must explain that the participant deduces the researcher's expectation (that reading about disease risks should improve exercise attitudes) and explain that the participant responds by reporting an artificially positive attitude toward exercise.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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