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Define the term 'double-blind study' and identify the two specific groups of people who must be kept unaware of the experimental conditions. Explain the distinct research threats that blinding each of these groups is intended to minimize, and state the ultimate goal of implementing this technique.
Question: Define the term 'double-blind study' and identify the two specific groups of people who must be kept unaware of the experimental conditions. Explain the distinct research threats that blinding each of these groups is intended to minimize, and state the ultimate goal of implementing this technique.
Sample answer: A double-blind study is an experimental procedure in which both the participants and the experimenters who interact with them are kept unaware of the participants' assigned conditions. Blinding the participants is intended to minimize participant expectations (such as the placebo effect), while blinding the interacting experimenters is intended to minimize potential experimenter bias. The ultimate goal of this technique is to simultaneously control for both sources of bias, ensuring that the study's results reflect the true effect of the independent variable.
Key points:
- A double-blind study keeps both the participants and the experimenters who interact with them unaware of the assigned conditions.
- Keeping participants unaware minimizes their expectations, such as the placebo effect.
- Keeping interacting experimenters unaware minimizes potential experimenter bias.
- The procedure ensures that the observed results reflect the true effect of the independent variable.
Rubric: To receive full credit, the response must include the following: 1) A definition of a double-blind study stating that both participants and interacting experimenters are kept unaware of the assigned conditions. 2) Identification that keeping participants unaware minimizes participant expectations (or the placebo effect). 3) Identification that keeping experimenters unaware minimizes experimenter bias. 4) A statement that the technique ensures the results reflect the true effect of the independent variable.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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