Study of the day
Responding to leaders
(Butler & Geis, 1990)
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Responding to Leaders (Butler & Geis, 1990)
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Responding to Leaders (Butler & Geis, 1990)
Experimenters Confederates Subjects
Lab Review
– How could the stimuli from the curly/straight study be improved?• Other variations (e.g. wavy?)• Stimulus sampling
Running Experiments
Learning Objectives
You will learn to:– Create a consent form– Cover stories– Writing an experimenter script– Create a debriefing form– Create a logsheet– Random assignment (quick overview)– Run subjects professionally
Creating a consent form
Consent form*Contact informationResearcher’s statement – about the formPurposeProceduresRisks – privacyBenefitsOther information – voluntary, anonymousSignatures
Example consent form*
http://www.wesleyan.edu/acaf/support/reviewboard.html
Cover story
When subjects can’t know the purpose of the study
- Eliminates speculation regarding what the study is actually about
- Make sure they act “naturally”- Reduce experimental demand-> Simple and plausible cover stories are best
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Responding to Leaders (Butler & Geis, 1990)
Example cover story
Butler & Geis (1990)
Cover story: “Decision making in business”Each group had to decide what items they
would most want after a plane crash
Actual experiment: Confederate leads group -> non-verbal reactions coded
Example cover story
Bystander intervention:
Cover story: Filling out questionnaires
Actual experiment: Smoke starts appearing from the vent
Creating an experimenter script
Experimenter script*
Greet subjectsAsk them to sign the consent formExplain to them what they will do in the
study
Example script*“Thanks for coming in today. Today’s study will be done on the
computer. Please turn off cell phones or other devices that may disturb the study.”
Ask the subjects to sit at one of the computers. Consent form: “Please read, sign, and date the consent form and hand
it back to me. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.”
Intro to study: “The first part of today’s study will be done in online classrooms on this computer. The first few minutes will be spent having you learn how to move around in these classrooms, and then we will move onto the study.” …
Creating a debriefing script
Debriefing form
Thank the subjects for participatingTell the subjects the purpose of the studyAsk if they have questionsDirect them to further readings on the
topicDepending on amount of deception
involved, might probe for suspicion
Example debriefing form
Creating a logsheet
Logsheet
Organizes the study:1.Keep track of how many subjects are
run2.Assign subjects to condition (random
assignment)3.Keep track of experimenter, date, time4.Place to write notes
File > New
Add columns across the top: subjno, condition date, time, notes (and any other extra variables you need)
Use random number generator
Using Excel to make a logsheet*
Example logsheet
Running subjects
Experimenter effects
Wear plain clothing
Wearing a t-shirt that says “eracism” shifts women’s race attitudes to be more egalitarian
(Sinclair, Lowery, & Hardin, 2005)
Experimenter effects
Consider potential experimenter confounds:Race
Presence of a Black experimenter reduces Whites’ automatic prejudices against Blacks
(Lowery, Sinclair, & Hardin, 2001)
Experimenter effects
Gender
Male subjects report lower pain levels to female experimenters than to male experimenters (Levine & Simone, 1991)
Experimenter effectsTone
Subjects modify their attitudes to the “nice experimenter” more than to the rude experimenter
(Sinclair, Lowery, & Hardin, 2001)
“I really appreciate your participation and wanted to give you something extra, so I brought some candy for you.”
vs.“Some of the experimenters in my lab like to give subjects candy for their
participation, but I think you are lucky just to get credit.”
Minimizing experimenter effects
Minimal contact between experimenter and subjects
Standardize procedures (script helps)Use professionalismConduct double-blind studies when
possibleCheck for race and gender effects
Remember to Check for Suspicion
Simple open-ended probe asks participants what the think was the purpose of the
study.
Congratulations!
You have learned how to– Create a consent form– Create a cover story– Create a debriefing form– Write an experimenter script– Create a logsheet in Excel– Run subjects professionally
Study Resources
How do you generate random numbers?•In excel •Using a website:
http://www.random.org/integers/
Random Assignment*
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