psychology homework help PLEASE!!!

Hi guys,
so i've just started a levels and i got to say im struggling esp with my psychology homework so i would be more than grateful if one of you smart people can help

okay so basically here are the questions
suggest possible sources for these demand characteristics (try to think of atleast 4)

suggest how the following studies may be affected by demand characteristics and investigator effects:
1. a group of students are interviewed about their belief in superstitions. the aim of the study is to see if there is a difference between males and females in the degree in which they are superstitious.
2. teenagers in a youth club are observed to see if girls aremore co-operative than boys.
3. researchers are investigating whether students work more diligently in a maths lesson. they give very similar worksheets (to do with everyday finance) to the same students in each of these two lessons.
4. a researcher observes the amount of eye contacts between two people between two people who have been requested to have a staged argument as compared to the amount of eye contact between two people asked to have an ordinary conversation.

please please someone help me with these questions!!

Reply 1

TM23

2

Original post by Hanna abdulrakib

Hi guys,
so i've just started a levels and i got to say im struggling esp with my psychology homework so i would be more than grateful if one of you smart people can help

okay so basically here are the questions
suggest possible sources for these demand characteristics (try to think of atleast 4)

suggest how the following studies may be affected by demand characteristics and investigator effects:
1. a group of students are interviewed about their belief in superstitions. the aim of the study is to see if there is a difference between males and females in the degree in which they are superstitious.
2. teenagers in a youth club are observed to see if girls aremore co-operative than boys.
3. researchers are investigating whether students work more diligently in a maths lesson. they give very similar worksheets (to do with everyday finance) to the same students in each of these two lessons.
4. a researcher observes the amount of eye contacts between two people between two people who have been requested to have a staged argument as compared to the amount of eye contact between two people asked to have an ordinary conversation.

please please someone help me with these questions!!

I'm have no idea because I've just started studying a level psychology too and I don't understand it either

I just ask my friends to help or maybe look in the textbooks or Internet

If that doesn't work the go to your teacher for help

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Reply 2

Hanna abdulrakib

OP

Original post by TM23

I'm have no idea because I've just started studying a level psychology too and I don't understand it either

I just ask my friends to help or maybe look in the textbooks or Internet

If that doesn't work the go to your teacher for help

Posted from TSR Mobile

ughhhh im struggling so bad

Reply 3

User1674917

12

Original post by Hanna abdulrakib

Hi guys,
so i've just started a levels and i got to say im struggling esp with my psychology homework so i would be more than grateful if one of you smart people can help

okay so basically here are the questions
suggest possible sources for these demand characteristics (try to think of atleast 4)

suggest how the following studies may be affected by demand characteristics and investigator effects:
1. a group of students are interviewed about their belief in superstitions. the aim of the study is to see if there is a difference between males and females in the degree in which they are superstitious.
2. teenagers in a youth club are observed to see if girls aremore co-operative than boys.
3. researchers are investigating whether students work more diligently in a maths lesson. they give very similar worksheets (to do with everyday finance) to the same students in each of these two lessons.
4. a researcher observes the amount of eye contacts between two people between two people who have been requested to have a staged argument as compared to the amount of eye contact between two people asked to have an ordinary conversation.

please please someone help me with these questions!!

if thry are interviewed as a group they might just go with what the group says

Reply 4

Nidovicx

1

So they'd might want to give answers that would make the investigator impressed with them or they may report their findings in a way in which they aren't embarrassed about and they may lie etc and not reveal their true ideas an feelings due to the investigator having an "effect" on them

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Reply 5

Nidovicx

1

Demand characteristics: kinda the same thing they'd just act in a way so that they may impress the researcher or look good themselves

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Reply 6

Nidovicx

1

So you've basically got to apply all that to the different scenarios it's really not that difficult once you get your head round it

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Reply 7

Nidovicx

1

So for #4 for example, they may react differently in the staged argument than they might do in real life, which is an example of demand characteristics because they aren't acting as they would in real life and trying to impress the investigator (investigator effect)

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Reply 8

Hanna abdulrakib

OP

Original post by Nidovicx

So for #4 for example, they may react differently in the staged argument than they might do in real life, which is an example of demand characteristics because they aren't acting as they would in real life and trying to impress the investigator (investigator effect)

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omg thank you so much!!! i understand it quite better now thankyou thank you :smile:

but what i write for possible sources for the demand characteristics im still not sure of it?
thanks again.

Reply 9

DeadEnd_96

11

I might be able to help as I am currently studying A2 Psychology, but it might be slightly different as you are studying the new specification.

Investigator effects are anything the investigator might do in order for the participant to provide a response or do an action that the investigator desires. The investigator will do this by giving unintentional clues about the aim or purpose of the experiment, and how they should expect them to behave. The investigator can do this by their speaking in a different tone of voice (speaking politely, aggressively etc.), the investigator could speak in a different accent to how he/she usually speaks, attitude of the investigator, any hand gestures or movements using their body to provide clues. Sometimes the investigator effects ca be personal attributes of the investigator such as whether the investigator is a man or woman, age, physical appearance etc. For example there have been studies that have shown that participants feel more intimidated if a man was interviewing them compared to a woman, so the participant might be less likely to provide their own answers during the interview, therefore the results might be invalid.

Demand characteristics are clues in the experiment which allow the participant to find out the true aim of the study. If the participant does find out the purpose of the study then the experiment is essentially meaningless because the results won't be a true reflection of the person's behavior, therefore the results will be biased and in favour of the research hypothesis. The participant will often find clues in the surrounding of the experiment, investigator's characteristics and behaviour (might be behaving suspiciously).

For your first question you could say that the investigator effects can be whether the person interviewing the participant is a man or woman, age of investigator, how they ask the questions or perhaps the kind of questions asked during the interview. e.g. "Do you really believe that walking under a ladder actually gives you bad luck?" The investigator can ask this question sarcastically or might place emphasis on certain words to make the participant say no to the question. I hope this gives you an idea on how to answer the rest of the questions. feel free to ask any questions you may have. Good Luck :smile:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 10

Hanna abdulrakib

OP

Original post by DeadEnd_96

I might be able to help as I am currently studying A2 Psychology, but it might be slightly different as you are studying the new specification.

Investigator effects are anything the investigator might do in order for the participant to provide a response or do an action that the investigator desires. The investigator will do this by giving unintentional clues about the aim or purpose of the experiment, and how they should expect them to behave. The investigator can do this by their speaking in a different tone of voice (speaking politely, aggressively etc.), the investigator could speak in a different accent to how he/she usually speaks, attitude of the investigator, any hand gestures or movements using their body to provide clues. Sometimes the investigator effects ca be personal attributes of the investigator such as whether the investigator is a man or woman, age, physical appearance etc. For example there have been studies that have shown that participants feel more intimidated if a man was interviewing them compared to a woman, so the participant might be less likely to provide their own answers during the interview, therefore the results might be invalid.

Demand characteristics are clues in the experiment which allow the participant to find out the true aim of the study. If the participant does find out the purpose of the study then the experiment is essentially meaningless because the results won't be a true reflection of the person's behavior, therefore the results will be biased and in favour of the research hypothesis. The participant will often find clues in the surrounding of the experiment, investigator's characteristics and behaviour (might be behaving suspiciously).

For your first question you could say that the investigator effects can be whether the person interviewing the participant is a man or woman, age of investigator, how they ask the questions or perhaps the kind of questions asked during the interview. e.g. "Do you really believe that walking under a ladder actually gives you bad luck?" The investigator can ask this question sarcastically or might place emphasis on certain words to make the participant say no to the question. I hope this gives you an idea on how to answer the rest of the questions. feel free to ask any questions you may have. Good Luck :smile: