Manipulation Checks in Experimental Research


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Laboratory Experiments		< back		3 of 13		next >


	Students are interested in whether social distance influences assertiveness. Chemistry majors are recruited for the study and told that they will evaluate a new placement exam that will be used to assign students to organic chemistry labs. Each participant is brought into a room, seated at a table, given an exam and told to concentrate and do his/her best. The experimenter than sits down at a desk close by and begins to read a journal article. While reading, the experimenter loudly clicks a pen.
For half of the participants, the experimenter is described as a school administrator and wears business office attire. For the remaining participants, the experimenter is introduced as a chemistry student and wears neat and clean but more casual student attire. The dependent measure, assertiveness, is measured by recording whether the participant asks the experimenter to stop clicking the pen.