Hawthorne effect changes in behavior that occur when an indiviudal knows they are being obser ved PSYC 100 9 3 In each study d v productivity i v some aspect of the working conditions result productivity increased regardless of conditions For ex lights were dimmed to 50 iv and producitivity went up therefore can not get clear picture of true effects of idependent variable Solution make observations unobtrusive by using blind procedure subject is unaware of hypothesis Experimenter expectancy effect observer bias can lead to actual changes in the d v Observer expecations leaad them to conciously or unconciously to treat subjects in a way that encourages them produce the expected results therefore preventing true effects on i v Solution double blind study Examples of expectancty bias 1 Maze bright vs maze dull rats IV was that each cage was made either bright or dull It was then concluded that the bright rats learned faster when really there was no difference in the type of rats therefore expectancy of researchers 2 Rosenthal effect with school children One class labeled the snart class anither labeled the lower class and results by end of the year showed accordingly 3 Clever Hans see stovich pp 86 88 Horse would stamp foot answering math problems but when horse couldn t see trainer or trainer didn t know answer the horse couldn t answer correctly 4 Rosenhan s 1973 study on ebing sane in insane places psuedopatients not really suffering but plased in psychiatric hosptials 12 all gained admitance complaining of voices schizophrenia they were then diagnosed w schizo and eventually all normal behaviors such as standing in line seen as proof of there schizo the expctation Other patients knew they were faking Took one subject 52 days to be released Upon release were deemed schizophrenics in remission Double blind subject Is unaware of hypo experimenter is unaware of which expermintal condition the subject has been assigned to William James 1890 psychology is the science of our mental life Stanovich pg 2 8 pg 4 The diversity of content and perspectives Areas cognitive developmental social industrial organizational biological Stanovich s themes 1 the public doesn t understand what psyc is about 2 public doesn t like to think that psyc is a science Reasons pg 7 1 the purveyors of bogus psyc 2 reliance on authority and common sense often a consensus of the clueless People think its common sense that you d study Freud when studying psyc Deemed the Freud problem relates to Hindsight Bias I knew it all along That s just common sense Makes it seem as though psyc is mearly the study of things previoiusly known things known through common sense and therefore insignificant This concept becomes difficult when faced w alternatives that are equally likely How to prevent on exam Read hypothesis aim and procedure prior to reading the result Therefore you will not be able to say I knew it all along Note whether prediction was right or wrong IV and DV are categories into which different behaviors are classified When classifying must avoid nominal falicy that mistaken belief that we understand explained an even just bc we have given it a name ex that violent action was agression therefore any violence is caused by agression Naming something is not the same was explaining it Why do mother rats eat placents Some may just say its instinct but that doesn not explain it simply labeled When what really makes sense is that it will augment chances for survivial by eliminating the stinky placentas that may attract predators Simply naming it instinct would stop further inquiry
View Full Document