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In field experiments where participants are encountered naturally rather than formally recruited, researchers must establish a well-defined set of selection rules before data collection begins. These explicit criteria dictate exactly who is included in the study, preventing intentional or unintentional selection bias by the experimenter.

Participant Selection Rules

In a field experiment investigating helping behavior, researchers Nicolas Guéguen and Marie-Agnès de Gail tested whether being smiled at increased the likelihood that supermarket shoppers would help a confederate pick up dropped computer diskettes. Because this was a naturalistic setting without formal recruitment, the researchers utilized strict, predetermined selection rules to prevent unintentional experimenter bias when choosing participants. Specifically, they targeted the first person appearing to be between the ages of $$20$$ and $$50$$ encountered on a stairway, and only if the person gazed back did they become a participant in the study.

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